Phantom's Past
by BabyDoll62690
Summary: Three teen witches, get sucked into POTO by Heather's evil Warlock ex. Now, they have to complete the movie to get home and they just might make a few corrections of their own in the past! Raoul bashing. R&R! FINISHED! rating changed for chap.7
1. Prologue

Prologue

Heather and Paige looked at their boyfriends with puppy dog eyes and pouted. "Please?" they asked, whining like little girls. They smiled; it was only seconds before the guys would break. Clay and Scot sighed, "Fine." they agreed. Heather and Paige looked at each other and giggled.

"New record, three seconds!" exclaimed Heather laughing even harder. Paige laughed, too. The guys rolled their eyes.

"Okay, you got us. We'll go Friday night." Scot told them.

That night Heather called up Alyssa. "We got them to break! We're going this Friday night, can you make it?" she said. She could hear Alyssa laugh.

"Let me guess, you used the puppy eyes, didn't you?" Alyssa accused her.

"Why I would never do such a thing!" Heather denied. Then she laughed, "Yep, we did." She picked up a cookie and took a bite out of it. "It only took them three seconds this time." Alyssa laughed again.

"Wow."


	2. Welcome to Opera Populaire!

"Is this seat good?" Alyssa asked the other four people who were with her. Several nods and yeses answered her. Leading the way through the row, she picked a seat somewhere in the middle. The others sat down after her. Scot sat beside her, Paige sitting down next to him. Then Heather, and then Clay on the other end. They were at the movie theater to see Phantom of the Opera. The guys had been a little reluctant to come, but Heather and Paige had wanted to see it really bad, so they agreed to come. Alyssa had decided to come with them.

The five friends laughed and joked around till the previews started. They never noticed that the only other people in the theater were a couple strangers sitting a few rows behind them. During the previews the strangers began to chant softly, so that nobody could hear them. After about five minutes, they stopped and sat back to watch the movie.

During the movie, Heather rested her head on Clay's shoulder. She was happy that he had agreed to come with her. They hadn't been able to go on a real date for a couple of weeks. Her, Paige, and Alyssa had been too busy with some demons that had come through a portal. Paige hadn't been able to do anything with Scot either.

Heather and Paige hummed along to the songs, having been listening nonstop to the soundtrack since they had seen the movie the first time a few weeks ago, with Heather's mom. They laughed when it came to the part when Carlotta came back to the opera house. The man in the rafters mooned her.

Sometime around the time in the movie when Meg found the Phantom's mask, Alyssa noticed that they were the only ones in the theater. But she didn't think anything of it since it was the end of the movie. Besides, she didn't want to interrupt Heather and Paige's crying fest.

Clay handed Heather his napkin, which he had grabbed before coming in. She took it gratefully. Wiping her eyes she sniffed. She looked at Paige, who was crying, too. Heather laughed silently, and Paige had made fun of her the first time for crying!

Just then the end of the movie was there. They sat in their seats a couple extra minutes so that Heather and Paige could wipe their eyes. Suddenly Heather disappeared. "Heather!" Clay exclaimed frantically, looking around.

Then Paige disappeared also. "Paige?" Scot panicked. Beside him Alyssa disappeared. The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes before they too also faded into air.

When they reappeared, they landed on the floor of a small room that looked like a dressing room. Clay landed beside Heather on the floor. Rolling onto his back, he stood up. Then he bent over and helped Heather up. She groaned, holding her head. "Whatever idiot did that, they just gave me a headache!" she complained. The others stood up.

Just then the door to the room opened to reveal two men who looked a lot like Andre and Firmin from the movie! "Ah, our guests have arrived!" the taller of the two said. The shorter one nodded and smiled. "Welcome to the Opera Populair!" he exclaimed.

The friends just gaped at them in shock. Then Heather felt a tug in her clothes. Looking down, she gasped in shock. Her clothes had completely changed! And so had everybody else's!

Heather wore a floor length dress in two pieces. The top bodice was pulled snuggly against her waist, and lace edged the square collar. The dress was a light purple, violet color. Her hair framed her face in dark ringlets. Her makeup was done to perfection and looked just right on her.

Paige was dressed almost the same way. Only her dress was a dark green. Her hair was in a confusing, complicated hairdo. Her makeup was also done to perfection.

Alyssa looked down at her outfit and was surprised to find that she was wearing ballerina toe shoes. Her dress was a gauzy white with a pink top. It poofed out slightly, and came to just above her knees. Her hair was done in a loose bun, with several loose strands. She was wearing light makeup.

The boys, however, were dressed in suits. Clay was wearing a white shirt and black pants with black boots. He greatly resembled Raoul, only with brown hair. Scot, on the other hand, was dressed in a complete suit. He kept adjusting his bow tie.

The two men at the door smiled coldly at them. The tall one began to talk, "Welcome, now you will be assigned your parts. Heather, you will be playing Christine Daae."

Heather stared at him, "No way! I can't sing that well! Heck, I can't even sing! Why isn't Paige playing Christine?" she exclaimed.

"Because she has been given the part of Carlotta. The Phantom wants you to play Christine. Now, Alyssa, you will be Meg Giry. Clay will be playing Raoul. Scot, you have been assigned several small parts."

The two men nodded at the group before turning to leave. "The Phantom will be here shortly to see you, and Heather, sing something, you will find it very surprising." The man who resembled Andre told her.

"Wait! Who is the Phantom?" Heather called out as the door shut on them. No answer came back to her. Heather sighed in frustration at the closed door. The others shifted uncomfortably, the room being so small. Suddenly Heather had an idea. Softly she began to sing.

"Angel of Music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory! Angel of Music, hide no longer! Come to me strange angel!" She became louder as she sang. Surprise was written all over her face, as it was on everybody's. They all jumped when a man's voice answered Heather.

"I am your Angel of Music. Come to me Angel of Music. I am your Angel of Music, come to me Angel of Music!"

Heather looked around the room. Her face turned white. "I know that voice!" she said. She backed up till she was standing beside Clay. She pressed up against him. He put his arm around her waist. He had never seen her scared before.

Suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere. He stood in front of Heather and Clay. "Indeed you do. Hello Heather," the man said. The man was dressed in the Phantom's all black clothing, and the white mask that covered half of his face. He twirled a red rose in his black-gloved fingers.

"Joe," was all she could manage.

Paige and Alyssa paled when they heard her. "Uh oh." Paige muttered under her breath. "This is not good." Alyssa nodded in silent agreement.

Joe held the rose out to Heather, "A flower for the star of the show," he told her. Heather stared at the flower before hesitantly taking it. "What do you want?" she asked him.

Joe smiled at her, "Why I thought you would know by now, Heather!" he said. He grabbed her arm. "You!"

Just then Paige remembered her powers. She wavered her hand to freeze him so that Heather could free herself, but nothing happened. Joe also laughed at her. "Your powers are useless here!" he gloated. "They will not work!"

Turning back to Heather he hissed at her "You belong to me! No one else!"

Heather stared back at him defiantly, "You wish!" she growled, drawing back her free hand she slammed it into his stomach. It had the effect she had been hoping for. He immediately threw her back as he doubled over in pain. She stumbled back a couple of steps to Clay. A dark bruise was already beginning to form around her wrist.

Angrily Joe straightened up. "You'll pay for that girl!" Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Heather held her wrist, until Clay gently took it in his hand and inspected it "I think it's twisted." Paige walked over to them. "Give it to me," she instructed. Heather grudgingly gave it to her. "But he said our powers won't work."

Paige smiled at her, "But, he didn't say anything about gifts." She closed her eyes as she concentrated for a moment. When she opened them, the bruise was gone. "See!" she said.

"Who was that?" asked Clay in concern.

Heather sighed, "I was hoping I would never have to tell you this, but I guess I have no choice now. That was Joe. He's a warlock. When I first gained my powers, all of them, I dated him. I had no idea he was sent to kill me. But, somewhere along the way he fell in love with me. In some sort of an evil, twisted way. He's tried to make me love him several other times," she explained to him. "He hasn't bothered me since I started dating you, so I figured he'd finally figured out that I don't love him. I should have known he was planning something. This is all my fault!"

Clay wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "This isn't your fault. None of it is. Nobody else would have known either," he soothed her. "We'll find a way to get home, it'll be okay."

Heather took a deep breath. "Okay." She turned to the others, who had moved to the other side of the room so that they weren't eavesdropping. They looked up when she started to talk.

"I know that they've put some sort of spell on us, I can feel it. I'm pretty sure that when we start acting, it'll turn us into out characters for the most part. So, I'm going to give everybody jobs. Paige, since you will be playing Carlotta, you won't be talking to me, so send me notes by Alyssa, Scot, or Clay when you find out something. Scot, you will be in charge of going out and getting us things that we need, I'll make you a list of some stuff. Clay and Alyssa, you will be messengers and informants. I want to know everything that you hear and see. Anything will help. Got it?" she asked.

Everybody nodded his or her approval and understanding. One by one they left the room, until Heather and Clay were the only ones left. Clay stopped Heather from leaving. "Are you okay?" he asked her. Heather nodded, "Yeah, I think. I'm just upset a little, I guess. Nothing big," she answered him. "I'll be fine."

Clay nodded before he bent down a little and kissed her on the cheek. "If he does anything to you that isn't part of the movie, tell me. Okay?" Heather nodded, and then she too left.

An hour later everyone met on stage for the opening scene. Except for Clay of course. Heather gasped when she say Alyssa, her hair was blond! "Wow!" she said as Alyssa walked over to her. She looked at Heather, "Can you believe it? It must be part of the spell or something. It did that a couple minutes after I left you guys," Alyssa explained.

As Paige began to sing, Heather and Alyssa took their spots in the background. As they danced Heather smiled. _This is fun! It feels as if I'm flying!_ she thought to herself. Looking at Alyssa, Heather could tell she thought the same thing.

Just then Monsieur Lefevre came unto the stage leading Andre, Firmin, and Raoul. Monsieur Lefevre introduced them as the new owners of the opera house. Then they introduced Raoul as their patron. He gave his quick speech and then left by walking past Heather and Alyssa. As he walked past them he slipped Heather a piece of paper. She quickly palmed it and hid it in her costume. Alyssa checked to make sure that nobody had seen. It was clear.

Heather became more and more nervous as it got closer to her cue to sing. She hoped that Paige would remember to stand up farther. Thankfully she did. When the curtain dropped it didn't even touch her. However, she fell to make it look realistic. Everything went as planned. As Heather's cue came, she took a deep breath before stepping forward. Alyssa patted her arm as she walked past.

Opening her mouth, Heather began to sing. "Think of me, think of me fondly…" softly at first and then louder as she became more confident in herself. She stepped forward a couple more steps. Clay watched proudly from off stage. As the music swelled, he suddenly found himself in one of the box seats, watching as Heather continued the song, the extravagant dress she was now wearing making her even more beautiful.

As she hit the high note at the end of the song, Clay was already on his way to her dressing room so that he could meet her there. He pushed his way through the crowd that was in front of the big door. "Ah, Viscount, I think we've made quite a discovery in Miss Daae, maybe we could present her to you?" said Firmin, giving Clay a weird smile.

"No thank you gentleman," Clay answered as he took the flowers that Firmin was holding. "Thank you!" he said smiling. Then he opened the door and slipped inside. Heather sat at her dressing table combing her hair. Her head moved slightly to the side when the door closed, she had been waiting for him. They ran through their parts quickly. But, when the time came for Raoul to leave, Clay refused to go. "No, I don't want him to touch you!" he said as Heather tried to convince him to leave as he was supposed to.

"Please Clay!" Heather begged him. He looked into her eyes and saw the fear and pleading in them. He sighed and slumped his shoulders, giving in. she sighed in relief, "Don't worry, he won't harm me, I'll be fine," she reassured him. He nodded before turning and walking to the door. Opening it he looked back at her. The uncertainty in her eyes scared him a little. She was always so certain about things, never scared. But now she was, she was just acting brave for everyone. She nodded and he turned and left, shutting it behind him. She changed into her nightgown.

Even though she was expecting it, Heather still jumped when Joe's voice suddenly filled the air. "Insolent boy, this slave of fashion, basking in your glory! Ignorant fool, this brave young suitor, sharing in my triumph!"

Heather ran to the door, but she was compelled to answer him. "Angel I hear you, speak I listen, stay by my side guide me. Angel, my soul was weak, forgive me, enter at last master!"

"Flattering child, you shall know me, see why in shadow I hide. I look at your face in the mirror, I am there inside!"

Heather gasped as she looked at the mirror. It seemed to become lighter and a man's figure could be seen outlined behind it. The mask was exceptionally clear. "Angel of Music, guide and guardian, grant to me your Glory! Angel of Music hide no longer, come to me strange Angel!" Heather felt as if she was in a trance.

"Come to me Angel of Music, I am your Angel of Music. Come to me Angel of Music, I am your Angel of Music!" Joe sang. Heather 's feet started moving, as if she had not control over them. She didn't want to go, but she did. The mirror slid open to reveal Joe. Heather was captivated, she never heard Clay banging on the door as she put her hand in Joe's.

Then, Heather's favorite part of the movie, the tunnels. The music became very loud as it changed and the Phantom began to lead her. She thought it was cool how the statues moved to allow them through.

"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. This voice which calls to me, and speaks my name. And do I dream again, for now I find, the Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind!" Heather sang. The Phantom picked it up from there and sang his part as they came to a horse waiting for them at the bottom of the steps. Heather looked back; she could no longer see the mirror.

"And though you turn from me, to glance behind…" he continued. The Phantom led the horse to the water's edge. A boat was there, rocking gently like a cradle on the small waves of the tunnel. As the Phantom rowed the boat they sang together, their voices blending beautifully. Heather began to panic a little. The next parts were really high. Too high for her, spell or no spell. Taking a deep breath, Heather opened her mouth and sang. She hit the high notes endlessly. They were perfect. When she was done, Heather grinned. _Wow! That was so cool! I think I like this spell. _She thought to herself. Just then the Phantom stepped out of the boat and onto the floor of his lair. Heather held her breath, not quite sure of what he was going to do.

Instead of doing anything though, Joe continued with the movie as planned. The surprise was yet to come. Heather took his hand that he offered to her and he helped her out of the boat. He sang to her, and she listened, in a daze of sorts at the emotion in his voice. She let him touch her. His hands were all over her waist and chest. Never inappropriately, but still there. Then he led her to the mannequin. Pulling back the curtain, he surprised heather. There was no mannequin; in its place was a mirror. In it was Heather's reflection, staring at her and smiling, dressed in the beautiful wedding dress. Heather gasped and took a step backwards. The reflection smiled and lifted the veil onto her head. Heather fainted. The Phantom caught her before she could hit the ground. Finishing his song he carried her to his bed and gently laid her down and closed the curtain surrounding it.

Alyssa unlocked Heather's door and slipped into the room. She immediately headed for the mirror. Slipping her fingers into the crack, she slid it open and looked inside. Not seeing anyone she stepped in and checked again. Alyssa proceeded a couple more steps inside before she was stopped by a few mice who ran across her path. She was about to go on when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She jumped and whirled around.

"Come Meg," said Madame Giry, addressing who she thought to be her daughter. Then she turned around and led the way out of the tunnel.

When Heather woke up, she could hear Joe playing the piano. Walking out of the room, she saw him mindlessly playing a simple pattern of notes over and over again. As she finished her singing part he quit. Heather walked over to him, as she caressed his face, she ripped off the mask. Joe leapt out of his seat and turned on her, rage on his face, yelling at her. Frightened, Heather stumbled backwards, and fell. He went around her, singing to her. "Oh Heather," he sighed. Heather tearfully gave him the mask with trembling hands. He took it and turned from her to replace it onto his face. Then he turned around, "Come, we must leave now, your friends will be missing you." Without another word, he turned on his heel and led her away.


	3. Like a Toad

Chapter 2

Like a Toad

Once back in her room, Heather immediately headed for her bed, tired after her ordeal. Glancing at the nightstand, she realized she still had not read Clay's note. She sighed. Just then Alyssa walked in, "Oh good, you're back," she said, handing Heather a note. "This is from Scot. Something about the workmen, crew, and stuff." Heather nodded and took it from her. She opened it, and scanned down.

"He says that they don't know anymore than they've been told or seen over the years. Well that's not very fun. Ooh, it says that Madame Giry seems to be holding back on something though. This could be interesting." Heather told Alyssa.

"But how in the world would we get her to talk? She'll only tell us what she'll tell Clay during the Masquerade. Nothing more." Alyssa wondered.

"Good point, I'll have to sleep on that one, try to think of something if you can." Alyssa nodded. Heather picked up Clay's note and opened it. "Andre and Firimin are not talking. However, they are hiding some sort of plot," she read aloud. "Great, another not very helpful clue." Heather rubbed her temples and yawned. Alyssa noticed.

"You go to sleep, Heather, you need it. We can talk more later, since it's already tomorrow. Bye." With that she shut the door behind her and was gone. Heather lay down and within minutes was asleep.

Meanwhile, Paige-as Carlotta- was very mad that the Phantom wanted her to play the Pageboy. She refused. Andre and Firimin insisted that she play the Countess. They begged her and begged her to agree. Finally she did. While Heather fixed her hair, Madame Giry brought her Christine's pageboy costume. Heather quickly put it on and was ready within ten minutes. Alyssa startled her by appearing in the doorway. She looked at the room in distaste. "I don't like it," she said disdainfully. When Paige had agreed to be the Countess once more, the owners had lost no time in moving Heather to a smaller dressing room. It wasn't as nice as the other had been.

"Neither do I." Heather agreed.

They discussed the notes from the night before. "I still haven't a clue about how to get Madame Giry to talk." Heather said. Suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. "Wait a minute. Joe didn't say anything about spells or potions did he?" Alyssa shook her head.

"No. What are you thinking?" she asked in confusion.

Heather got out a scrape of paper and scribbled some things down on it. "Here, give this to Scot as soon as possible. I'm thinking it's time for a little truth spell." Heather explained with a twinkle in her eye. Alyssa smiled, thinking the same thing.

"Cool."

As they were leaving, Heather grabbed Alyssa's arm. "Make sure you tell Scot to have that stuff ready in time for the Masquerade Ball. Okay? We'll do it then," she instructed.

Heather and Paige took their spots on the huge stage bed for the show of Il Muto. Before the show started Heather outlined the plan to Paige. "We'll do it when she explains everything to Raoul." Paige smiled. Before she could answer the curtain raised and they fell silent. As the show progressed, even though she knew it was coming, Heather jumped when the Phantom's voice filled the auditorium. Paige did, too. Clay jumped to his feet.

"Did I not instruct that Box 5 was to be left empty?" his voice boomed.

The people in the audience gasped and turned to see who it was. Their startled faces amused Joe, and he smiled, chuckling to himself. As Paige began to sing again, he laughed even harder when she croaked like a toad. Unfortunately, his fun was cut short as he heard the snoopy crewman coming to investigate. With a swirl of black cloak, he was gone in an instant.

Paige rushed off stage crying. Carlotta's maids quickly rushed her away to be consoled. In no time, Andre and Firimin appeared on the stage. Heather listened through the closed curtain to what they had to say. Firimin tried to cover the mistake by saying it was an accident and that the show would continue in ten minutes. Reaching behind the curtain, Firimin groped around till he found Heather's arm. "Miss Daae will be playing the role of the Countess!" he announced. The audience applauded and Heather went to get ready. Andre introduced the ballet performance.

Heather felt guilty that a man would die tonight. As she finished putting on the undergarments to the countess costume, she could hear the faint screaming through the door. Madame Giry stopped lacing the back and quickly left to see what was happening.

Quickly Heather put on a cloak and left the room to find Clay. She found him within seconds and she rushed him off to the rooftop. "Heather…" a voice whispered on the wind. Heather knew that Joe was standing right in front of her, using the huge statue and the shadows to conceal himself. She glanced at Clay to see if he had noticed it. She could tell that he had. Nervously they continued, hoping that Joe would not decide to change the course of events and do something unexpected.

As they sang and nothing happened, the tension began to ease and they loosed up. They became more comfortable and got into their roles and the song better. Finally Heather gave Clay a big smile. It was contagious and he couldn't help but smile back. Suddenly Heather realized something important, and if possible, her smile got bigger. She had almost forgotten, she got to kiss Clay in this song! And it wasn't just a peck on the cheek either.

Almost jumping with excitement and anticipation, she saw that he was thinking the same thing. Then he picked her up and they kissed. "Heather, I love you," he finished. Then he picked her up and they kissed again. Leaving the rooftop, they hurried down the steps not wanting to stick around and hear Joe sing.

That night Heather and Clay enjoyed a quiet evening dinner in a small, beautiful restaurant. Clay brought her back to the opera house about midnight. He walked her to her room and then left.


	4. Secret Plan

Chapter 3 

Secret plans

December 20th

Three months later, after the hanging incident, everything seemed to be going along okay. Nobody had seen, heard, or received any letters from the Phantom in quite awhile. Everybody was at ease, for the moment.

It was December 20th, just five days before Christmas, and everyone was rushing around. Workers rushed to finish opera decorations. People rushed to get last minute presents.

Clay and Alyssa went to a nearby jeweler. They were there to buy a ring for Heather. They looked at several cases before they found the one they needed. It was gorgeous. It was a silver band, set with a blue sapphire with tiny diamonds surrounding it in a circular pattern. Clay turned to Alyssa. "Remember, not a word," he reminded her sternly. She nodded and acted like she was zipping her mouth shut.

Heather woke up excited. It was Christmas day! She hurried to get dressed and ready to meet everyone else. Just as she was putting on the finishing touches of her makeup, someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" she called out. Alyssa slipped into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Ready?" she asked.

Heather checked her image in the mirror once more and nodded. "Yep." She got up and grabbed her coat from the chair. "Is everyone else?"

"Yep." Alyssa answered.

Alyssa and Heather left the dressing room, being careful to lock it behind them. They met Scot and Clay at the entrance. "You're sure she'll meet us there?" Heather asked for the millionth time, referring to Paige. The others looked at her and Alyssa visibly rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" they all answered in unison.

"Okay, okay, I got it!" Heather replied laughing.

The friends met Paige at a small restaurant in town. Besides the owners, there was also an older couple there. Paige didn't take Carlotta's wardrobe to an extreme like Carlotta did. Instead, she was dressed in a simple but elegant dress with a single silver chain and diamond stud earrings. Her hair, now red, was a little harder to cover, so she pulled it back into a ponytail. She didn't care if it wasn't in style or not. It was comfortable.

Instead of Scot greeting Paige like he normally would with a hug, he surprised her and everyone else by kissing her cheek. Paige turned red as she blushed, and the other's laughed. So much so, she almost looked like an apple!

The friends made small talk for as long as they possibly could, not wanting to touch on the subject of their predicament. Finally Heather couldn't take it anymore. "Where could they possibly be?" she said aloud. Everyone turned to look at her. "Sorry, but I couldn't help it, I've been thinking about it since last night," she apologized. "I mean, haven't you? We need to find them. We can't just let it go."

The others nodded. "Another reason to give Madame Giry that truth spell." Alyssa agreed. "And, we still need to find out what Andre and Firimin know."

"How the heck are we going to do that?" Scot asked.

"I'm not exactly sure yet." Heather admitted to them, "I haven't gotten that far." She looked at them. "Any suggestions?" the group shook their heads no.

"Clay, have they said anything more?" Heather asked him.

Clay shook his head. "No, I haven't heard them say anything about it. So we're still in the dark here."

Paige raised an eyebrow, "Maybe not." She said, "That's where Carlotta comes in handy. If I can engage them in conversation, Carlotta's side of the spell could take over and possibly lower their walls long enough so I can gather information," she suggested.

Her friends nodded thoughtfully. They all agreed that it would probably work. "You can do that the night of the ball while we give Madame Giry the truth spell." Heather told her. Then she remembered something. "Scot, have you gotten the ingredients that I asked for?"

Scot nodded, "Yes, but I need to pick up the last one in a couple days. I'll send it with Alyssa to you," he replied.

"Okay, but remember, I need it by New Year's Eve," she reminded him.


	5. Masquerade!

Chapter 4

Masquerade!

For everyone the night of the Masquerade came too fast. Paige and Heather were excited because it was one of their favorite parts of the movie. Alyssa couldn't wait to wear her beautiful white dress. She loved it.

The night before, on New Year's Eve, the girls had taken time to mix up the truth spell they were to give Madame Giry. They were all nervous, hoping everything would go according to plans. Nobody wanted a new surprise waiting for them if Joe decided to change scenes. Scot was nervous about being the lead male dancer in a black and white mask. He wasn't used to dancing.

At the beginning of the ball, as Heather walked out of her dressing room, Clay stood waiting for her smiling and holding a small black box in his hand. He offered it to her. Slowly she reached out and took it. Opening the box, she gasped in admiration, it truly was beautiful. Turning around she ran back into her room and grabbed a chain from her dressing table.

"I'm sorry Clay, but I have to wear it on my neck. I wish I could wear it on my finger though. It's so pretty in real life." She smiled at him and he smiled back, taking the chain from her and clasping it around her neck. "Thanks," she whispered. Clay led her down the steps and onto the dancing floor in the entrance hall. Heather touched the ring, making sure it was really there.

"Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!" the dancers and opera performers sang happily. Everyone was happy, unaware of the disruption to come. Heather momentarily forgot about it as she danced with Clay.

Paige watched happily as Scot did his solo dance. She couldn't believe how good he was. He led the other dancers wonderfully. He never missed a single beat or movement, always in a continuous pattern. Even with the mask completely covering his face, Paige could tell he was having fun.

Then suddenly, Joe, dressed in the Phantom's Red Death costume, ruined it all. And just so he could give the evil owners his dumb opera. Joe threw the folder containing the opera on the ground in front of them. Heather didn't even notice that Clay wasn't by her side anymore. Her eyes were on Joe.

As he sang his last line, their eyes met and he stood, waiting for her to come to him. Heather was rooted to her spot, she couldn't move. Madame Giry stared at her, willing her to move. Everyone stood in silence, waiting for something to happen. After a couple of minutes of waiting Joe looked like he was going to cry. Heather didn't know if it was that look, or if it was something else that made her feet begin to move towards him. She had no control over her body anymore. She met him at the steps. He stepped down one. He opened his mouth to say something but then his eyes found the ring that was around her neck. Anger flooded his face. He yanked it off of her neck, "You're still mine!" he yelled and then jumped off the steps and into the hole that appeared in the floor. Clay suddenly appeared and jumped in after him, just making it before the hole closed.

Everyone gasped in shock and stared at the pattern on the floor that had just closed. They were confused, how did Joe do all of this? How could he have gotten it to work? Was he really a ghost like they all thought? Millions of questions ran through their minds


	6. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Chapter 5

Mirror, Mirror on the wall

Clay landed in a room full of mirrors. They surrounded him, they were everywhere. He turned in circles, trying to see Joe. All he saw was his image in the mirror, reflecting off of all of them to confuse him. Turning he almost ran into the Phantom's trademark noose. He jumped back. Suddenly a hand on his shoulder made him jump. It was only Madame Giry. She led him out of the maze of mirrors. They wet through another tunnel, where Clay convinced her to tell him about the Phantom. She agreed and opened a door that led off from the tunnel and into a small room.

Ten minutes into her story, Alyssa interrupted them. "What's going on?" Madame Giry demanded.

"Relax mother, I thought I would bring you some tea." Alyssa answered, moving so that she blocked the doorway, she didn't want the Madame to accidentally see Heather and Scot.

Madame Giry gratefully took the cup from Alyssa and took a sip. They waited five minutes after she had finished the tea to begin questioning her. Once they were sure that the spell was in place Alyssa ushered in Heather and Scot.

"Madame Giry, what is it that you aren't telling anyone about the Phantom. What is it that you don't want anyone to fine out?" Heather asked her. Madame Giry looked uneasy, but with a small urge from Heather, she began to talk.

"It was about ten years after I saved Eric from the circus. I was nineteen, and he was, we figured, about twenty. I was seeing one of the male dancers, his name was Pierre. I thought I was in love, Eric thought it was foolishness. Eric was right though, it was foolishness. I caught Pierre with another woman. I went to Eric for comfort, and we ended up comforting each other. A month later I realized I was with child," she finished.

Alyssa and Heather gasped, and looked at each other, shocked at what they had just heard. The Phantom was Meg's father!

Upstairs, at the party, Paige handed Andre and Firimin another glass of wine. This was each about their sixth glass, and they were getting loose-tongued. She wanted them drunk enough so that she could get information from them without them remembering it. Once they finished that glass, she smiled.

"Tell me, Monsieur's, have you been noticing the absence of accidents lately?" she asked them.

"Why yes my dear, of course we have," Andre answered for both of them, his eyes a little out of focus with drunkenness. "How could we not?"

"I was just wondering, Monsieur's, do you think he could be waiting to do something big?"

"Of course, that would be smart." Andre replied.

"Yes, indeed it is smart. That's why he's waiting for the right time." Firimin added.

"But my good Monsieur's," Paige said, using the Phantom's phrase, "When exactly is the right time?"

"My dear, I thought that was quite obvious, the cemetery. The cemetery!"

"Why the cemetery?" Paige acted stupid, to see if they would give any details.

"Because, the Viscount will be there." Andre replied with a cold gleam in his eye. Firimin looked the same way.

Paige suppressed a shudder as her mind imagined some gruesome pictures. "What a great idea! A perfect opportunity!" praised Paige, pasting a smile on her face.

Andre and Firimin smiled their appreciation. "We know, but now I'm afraid we have to leave. We have more people to see!" Paige nodded, still smiling. The two men stumbled out of the lounge room and into the front hallway. People moved out of their way as they continued out the door.

"Pansies can't even hold six glasses." Paige snorted, "They'll have one hangover in the morning." She set her glass on a table and headed to her dressing room where they were all going to meet.

After another ten minutes of questioning, they didn't get very much useful information. Heather sighed. She was expecting more. She noted that Madame Giry's eyes went out of focus for a couple seconds; a sign that meant the spell was beginning to wear off. "Come on guys, time to go. The spell's wearing off. Clay, don't forget to let her finish her story before you leave." Clay nodded and the other three left the cramped room.

Quietly Heather, Alyssa, and Scot slipped out of the room and followed the tunnels till they found the one that led to the kitchen. Then they too headed for Paige's room. Once there they waited for Clay to show up before sharing their information. Once he got there, Paige insisted that they share their news first. She didn't want to spoil it for the rest of them.

"Well," Alyssa said, taking a deep breath, "the Phantom turns out to be Meg's father."

"What!" exclaimed Paige in shock. Heather almost laughed at the expression on her face.

"Yep, it's true. I never would have guessed either. She looks nothing like him. The real one, I mean." Heather told her. The others agreed. "So what did you find out?"

Paige shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Well, uh," she paused trying to think of how to say it. "He wants to um, killClay." She finally managed to say, running the last words together.

"Well, that's no surprise, I mean, that's what the Phantom is supposed to do to Raoul." Heather said.

"No, I mean he wants to kill him at the cemetery, like, right away. No wasting time. And if we don't figure out something, he will. He's got something up his sleeve." Paige said.

Heather fainted. Clay caught her before she could fall. He picked her up and laid her on Paige's chaise lounge. He sat on the edge, gently smoothing her hair and holding her hand. After fifteen seconds or so, Heather woke up.

"Hey, are you okay?" Clay said softly.

Heather shook her head. Clay leaned down and hugged her. They sat that way for a couple of minutes. The others looked away, giving them some time to themselves. Heather let go of Clay. He sat back, "Okay now?" he teased.

Heather gave a watery smile back, "Yeah."

Sitting up, she leaned against Clay for comfort and support. He put his arm around her waist. "This is all my fault. We should just skip the cemetery. I refuse to go." Heather told everyone stubbornly.

"But, Heather, you have to go. It's the only way to finish the past and go home." Scot reminded her gently.

"And it's not all your fault. It's just as much mine, too," insisted Paige.

Scot shook his head, "No, it's no one's fault. We were all willing to see the movie. Nobody forced us to go."

"We're the ones being targeted. Not you. Mostly me, but it's always out fault. We're the witches here, with tons of enemies. If you guys weren't with us, none of this would ever happen to you. We put you in danger. You'd all be better off without us." Heather cut in. Paige and Alyssa nodded in agreement and support.

Clay and Scot both shook their heads. "NO," they said firmly. "We're not going anywhere. We're all in this together."

"I love you." Clay told Heather.

"I love you." Scot said to Paige.

Alyssa sighed and rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay already, enough of the mushy stuff. Jeesh!" They looked at her and laughed.

The group of friends sat around and talked till about 1:30 in the morning. Alyssa and Scot left together because they were going the same way. Clay walked Heather to her room and kissed her goodnight. They he got a chair and set it up outside the door so he could keep watch.

After changing clothes, Heather lay awake for a long time. She was waiting for dawn, when she would have to go to the cemetery. As soon as she saw the first light, she got up. She eased open the door, revealing a sleeping Clay. Heather paused long enough to touch his cheek. Then she was gone, slipping outside to the stables. Paying the driver, she grabbed a cloak from its hook. Turning around she saw Joe in the drivers seat. She climbed in. "To my father's grave, please." Joe nodded and started the horses.

Clay awoke with a start at the sound of the horse's hooves on the cobblestones. Jumping up, he saw the door was open. Running to the window, he looked out just in time to see the carriage turn the corner. Quickly he ran outside. "Where did they go?" he demanded of the cab driver.

"To the cemetry," he grumbled, rubbing his head where a bump was beginning to form. Clay jumped onto a nearby horse and took off in the same direction. He knew he was running out of time. He had to catch up.


	7. Cemetery Showdown

Chapter Six

Cemetery Showdown

Reaching the cemetery, Heather got out of the carriage and opened the gate. Joe drove around the side of the fence and out of sight. Heather walked in. the fog swirled around her like tendrils of smoke, conforming to her figure and clinging to her body. The dawn's light hit the tombs, casting dark shadows everywhere.

"You were once my one companion, you were all that mattered. You were once a friend and father, then my world was shattered." Heather sang. "Wishing you were somehow here again…"Slowly she walked through the cemetery, trying to prolong the showdown between Joe and Clay. When she reached Christine's father's tomb, she sat at the bottom of the steps. Then she finished the song.

Joe began to sing. "Wandering child, so lost and lonely. Yearning for my guidance," Heather looked everywhere. She was trying to determine the origin of his voice; she couldn't fall for the trick. She knew she was slowly slipping in. She was unsuccessful on both counts. She couldn't help but answer.

They continued on together, "Wildly my heart beats against you, but my soul obeys!" then Joe began the Phantom's part over, "Come to me Angel of Music, I am your Angel of Music…"

Suddenly Clay rounded the corner. "No, Heather!" he yelled, stopping her on the steps. "Don't fall for it!" he said as he joined her side.

"Oh!" Heather screamed as Joe jumped down off the roof of the tomb in front of them. Clay pushed Heather behind him and drew his sword at the same time as Joe charged him.

Clay sidestepped him, but Joe's shoulder brushed his and they both fell. Joe landed before him and moved out of the way as Clay fell onto his back. Pulling back his sword, Joe stabbed at Clay. He rolled out of the way and scrambled to his feet. He dodged another swipe of the sword. Joe snarled in anger, his eyes burning. The next one Clay blocked, their swords showering the ground with sparks. Heather bit her lip, following their every movement with her eyes.

They moved all around the cemetery, using statues, trees, and other tombs for cover. Anything they could find they used. Heather could see Clay was starting to tire out. It was proven when Clay missed an easy block. The sword caught his shoulder and ripped it open. "Clay!" cried Heather. She ran down the steps towards him.

Just as Joe was ready to finish the job, he flew backwards. In his place stood Heather. She was no longer wearing the skirt. Instead she was wearing a pair of black breeches. She stared defiantly at him, angry. Joe laughed, "Do you really think you can stop me?"

Heather smiled back, teeth gritted as she answered. "Yes, I do!" she said mimicking Carlotta's line on the opening of the movie. With that she jumped into the air. Clay watched as if everything was in slow motion.

Heather jumped up, kicking out with her right leg as she did a complete three-sixty degree turn. As her foot connected with his jaw, and Joe's head snapped back. By the time he hit the ground, Heather was already on the horse and running to Clay. She pulled him up behind her and kicked the horse and they took off at a gallop. They continued on like that for a good ten minutes before Heather slowed it down to a trot, making sure that Joe was not following.

Once they were sure he was far behind them, Heather leaned back against Clay's chest, sighing with relief. He responded with a one-armed hug and a light kiss on her cheek. Heather led them and the horse safely back to the opera house. Immediately after arriving, Heather rushed Clay off to her room so she could take care of his wound. Thankfully it was not too bad.

Clay winced as Heather pressed a wet cloth down on the injury. "Ow," he teased. Heather smiled. "Sorry, but I think I have to cut the whole arm off, anyone got a knife?" she teased back as she cut off the end of the gauze tape she had wrapped around his forearm.

"Thanks back there. I would've been dead if you hadn't been there." Clay told Heather, his voice becoming serious again. Heather glanced down, avoiding his gaze.

"It was nothing. I'm just lucky to know so many martial arts and fighting skills, I guess. It's nothing I'm proud of though. Besides, I don't think I could take losing you. Ever." she told him quietly. Clay looked at her and put his hand under her chin, forcing her to bring her head up and look at him.

"I'm not going anywhere." Slowly he bent down, his face getting to closer to hers with each second. Heather closed her eyes and tilted her head towards his. Hesitantly their mouths met each other's. Then slowly they began to deepen their kiss and Heather wound her arms around his neck and started to play with his hair.

Suddenly Clay broke the kiss, causing Heather to look at him questioningly. He got to his feet, "We shouldn't have done that. I have to go now." Without another word he turned around and was gone. The door closed gently behind him. Heather stared at the door in shock. Had she done something wrong? Was it not good? Was it her? She asked herself in confusion. Tired and confused, she leaned back in the bed and continued to stare at the door.

That morning, around nine am, Alyssa opened the door to Heather's room and slipped in. she wanted to make sure that nothing too horrible had happened last night at the cemetery. She shuddered at the thought of Joe killing Clay. Walking into the room, she saw Heather asleep, sitting up, in her bed. "Heather?" Alyssa whispered.

Heather's eyes flew open. "Clay?" she asked.

Alyssa shook her head, "No, it's only me, Alyssa," she said quietly.

"Oh." Heather said her face falling in disappointment.

"What's wrong?" Alyssa asked her in concern. "Has something happened?"

Now it was Heather's turn to shake her head. "No, nothing is wrong. I'm fine."

Just then Paige interrupted them as she too opened the door and walked in. Alyssa threw her a glance. Paige got it and immediately left the room, Alyssa following behind her. "What is it?" Paige asked once Alyssa had shut the door behind her.

"Clay is my best guess. When I woke up she immediately thought I was him. She seemed kind of disappointed when she it was only me," explained Alyssa.

Paige nodded in understanding. "I've got a plan, I'll go get Scot, and you stay here with her for now until I get back. Okay?"

Alyssa said yes and went back into Heather's room. "Really Heather, what is it? You can either tell me now, or I'll drag it out of you. Your choice." Alyssa told her shrugging.

Meanwhile, Paige went to find Scot. She found him on the stage practicing the dance for Don Juan with some newly made friends. She beckoned him over, knowing she should be practicing, too. "What?" he whispered, glancing around to make sure that the area she had led him to was clear.

"I need you to help with something," she whispered back. Quickly she explained the plan to him. He nodded, "Got it."

Paige got back into her carriage and ordered the driver to go to the Opera's business offices. He gave a slight nod and started the horses. They went at a mild pace, their hooves making clip-clopping noises on the stone streets. Once reaching her destination, a footman helped Paige down. Slowly she walked inside.

"Clay and I kissed." Heather said, she got up and walked to her clothes rack. Alyssa's mouth dropped open in shock. "And then he just got up and left. All he said was 'We shouldn't have done that, I've got to go.'"

"You mean you actually kissed, kissed?" Alyssa squealed, not quite sure she had heard right the first time. "Are you serious?"

Heather kind of smiled, but turned serious once more. "Yes, I am quite serious. But that isn't the point, why did he just leave like that?"

The man sitting at the front desk looked up as Paige walked in. "Yes, may I help you?" he asked.

Paige pursed her lips, "Yes you may. I am here to see le Viscount. Please tell him immediately," she replied stiffly, as Carlotta would have. The man nodded and scurried out of the small room. Seconds later the man retuned and beckoned for her to follow him. He opened the door for her, she stepped into an office and he shut the door. Clay was busy writing something. Without looking up he asked, "Yes?"

Paige frowned, "Clay," she said. Startled he looked up. He opened his mouth to say something, but Paige held up a hand. "No, let me talk."

"What did you do to Heather?" she demanded.

Clay's mouth dropped open, "What do you mean, what did I do to her? I would never do anything to her!"

All of the sudden Scot walked into the room. Paige made room for him by her side. "She is very upset."

Alyssa stared at Heather. She was unsure of what to say. How could he just leave like that? What was his problem? "Well, I really don't know why he would just leave." Heather picked out a dress; it was dark green with light green trimming and some lace. Heather went behind the changing screen and quickly changed. When she reappeared, Alyssa could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Quickly Alyssa covered her mistake, "I'm sure he just remembered some work or something that he had to do. That's all."

Clay jumped to his feet, "Is she alright?" he asked.

Paige and Scot crossed their arms. "You tell me. What did you do last night after the cemetery?" Paige requested.

Clay started, "We rode the horse back to the opera house, and she bandaged my arm up. Then we, we kissed." Paige and Scot looked at each other and smiled. "Then I got up and left."

Paige frowned, "You just got up and left without an explanation?" she said in shock. "Why in the world?"

Clay looked down at the desk, "When we first started dating, she said that that kind of kissing was not allowed unless we were married. If we were married. It's one of her rules," he explained to them, putting emphasis on the word if.

"Ah, so you thought it would be okay to leave without telling her anything so that she could worry that you might hate her and think she is imperfect?" Paige said in mock understanding. "What a great idea."

"Look, I know now that I shouldn't have, but at the time, I was in shock and thought it the best thing to do. Okay?" Clay argued.

Clay sat down in his chair, guilt written all over his face. He rested his head in his hands. He sighed, this movie, this past, was starting to feel like it was never going to end. Quietly the other couple left the office room and returned to the carriage that was to take them back to the Opera Populair. Once inside the carriage they talked. "I think it worked, and now we don't have to ask Heather what happened and make her feel worse." Scot said. Paige nodded in agreement.

"Totally."

"Yeah, maybe so. But I doubt it. What if he left because of me? What if he doesn't like me anymore?" Heather bombarded Alyssa with her unanswered questions. "Is it my fault? Is it me?"

Alyssa stopped Heather by putting her hands on her shoulders. "Heather!" Once she had Heather's attention, she continued. "It is not you. You are perfectly fine. He wouldn't leave because of you, or if he didn't like you anymore, without telling you. It's not your fault. Besides, he clearly is in love with you, just as you are in him." Alyssa reminded her. "Got it?" Heather nodded numbly.

"Good."

When Paige and Scot reached the opera house, they went their separate ways, parting with a quick and secret kiss. Paige went to Heather's room to meet with Alyssa. Scot went back to his practicing. Alyssa was sitting in a chair inside the doorway when Paige opened the door. Heather lay on the chaise lounge gloomily reading a book.

Both of them looked up when Paige entered the room. When they saw it was her, Heather went back to her reading. "Hey Paige," Alyssa greeted her.

"Hey Paige, I can read French." Heather informed her in a semi-happy voice. Paige looked at the pages, indeed it was written in French. She looked impressed.

"Let me see?" she asked and held out her hand for the book. Heather handed it over unwillingly. "Don't lose my spot!" she warned her. Paige nodded and started to read the page, slowly at first because it wasn't English, but then faster as the spell began to take affect. Within a couple of minutes she had finished. She handed the book back to Heather. "Interesting. And cool." Heather resumed her reading.

Paige motioned Alyssa over to the door. They stood there and talked for a couple of minutes. Heather heard bits and pieces of their conversation. "Oh, that was a great idea! Did it work?" she heard Alyssa say.

Paige answered, "Yeah, it did. He should be here in a little bit I'm thinking." Heather was grateful that she had friends like Alyssa and Paige because they were so willing to do something like that to help her. She smiled a little, so happy that they were her friends.

"Hey you two," Heather grabbed their attention. They turned to face her. "We should go look for Christine and them. We aren't doing anything, we have time," she suggested. "If we put it off any longer, they could be seriously harmed." The other two nodded in agreement. Unhappily Heather put down her book and got up.

Rounding up Scot, they began their search. "You know what?" Alyssa suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"We completely forgot to ask Madame Gary how to get into the mirror room. And if there is any other entrance to that sealed room!"

"Crap! We were shocked about Meg, we just didn't think of it!" Heather smacked herself in the forehead. "Ouch."

"Oh stop it, we all forgot." Alyssa said, "Let's just concentrate on finding them. We'll worry about the rooms when we get there. Everyone agreed.

"Let's split up then. Scot and I will take the sealed off room, Heather, you have the mirror room. And, Alyssa, you have full responsibility of the dressing room." Paige ordered.

"We'll meet back here in and hour. Okay?" Scot instructed. Everyone nodded and went their separate ways.


	8. Search Warrant

Chapter Seven

Search Warrant

Carefully, Heather made her way behind the stage. There were several stagehands still working on props for the show. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there. "Excuse me?" she said.

The biggest of the three men turned around and looked her over. "Yes, Mademoiselle?" he asked smiling.

"I was wondering if any of you fine gentlemen knew where the entrance to the room of mirrors is?" Heather pleasantly asked. She smiled back at him.

The man smiled even wider, showing off his icky teeth. He put his arm around her shoulders. "Anything for you, my dear."

Heather smiled, trying not to grimace. Carefully she maneuvered out of his hold. "Lead the way." He led her through the workmen's quarters to a small dressing room. Inside the closet there was a small door.

"This is the only entrance that I know of. Found it last year. Just keep the panel open while you're in, and then close it when you're ready to leave. Come and find me when you're done," he winked at her.

Heather just smiled and nodded. Turning, she crawled into the tiny space. As soon as she heard the man leave, she sighed in relief and made a face. "Ewww…" Cautiously she crept into the room, her eyes darting everywhere nervously. "Please don't let anything happen." Heather repeated to herself over and over again. Stopping a couple yards in, Heather tugged off her skirt. She was wearing the breeches underneath; she liked them so much better. They were much more comfortable. "There, much easier to move now."

"I didn't think you would like the costumes. You were always more of a jeans girl." Joe said as he materialized out of nowhere. Heather jumped backwards.

"Stay away from me!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Have you not learned anything from this little adventure?" he asked before he reached out and snatched her. Heather tried to scream, but she knew it was useless. No one was there to hear her anyway. Seconds later, Joe carried her out through another hidden door that led to the vaults, and consequently, the Phantom's lair.

About an hour later everyone except Heather was present at the arranged meeting spot. The others waited around for another twenty minutes before they began to worry about her. Just as Paige was about to say something, Clay interrupted as he walked up to them. "I looked everywhere for you guys, where have you been?" He stopped when he saw their worried glances. "What?" he looked around, "Where's Heather?" he demanded.

"We don't know," answered Alyssa quietly. "She hasn't returned from the mirror room yet. I have a bad feeling about this, I knew someone should have gone with her instead of letting her go alone."

Clay looked at the floor guiltily, "I should have been here with her. Then this wouldn't have happened."

"That is not true. But, we have no time for talking. We have to find the mirror room to find her." Paige said.

Meanwhile, in the Phantom's lair, Heather lay on Erik's bed once again, only this time under completely different circumstances. She groaned and opened her eyes, her head was throbbing. And she was staring Joe in the face.

Startled, Heather quickly pulled back. She scrambled out of the bed as fast as she could. Heather felt her head. There was a big bump beginning to form on her forehead. "What did you do to me you sicko!" she exclaimed.

Joe looked very offended on the uncovered side of his face. "Heather, my love, I would never do anything to harm you. Ever."

"Oh, so you just decided that hitting me on the head, knocking me out, and bringing me down here to do who knows what to me, doesn't count as anything?" she said viciously.

He took the accusation harshly. Pain filled his face, almost making Heather regret everything she had said and done to him. She was about to reach for his hand when she withdrew her hand. _No! I can't let him get to me. I love Clay, not him. I love Clay! He's doing this on purpose, I have to ignore it!_ she thought to herself frantically. Determinedly she walked to the other side of the cave-like room she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

Joe stood up. Walking slowly, he began to make his way over to her. He took off his mask. "Stay away from me Joe! I mean it! Stay away!" Joe just ignored her and kept walking towards her. Before she could do anything, Heather realized too late that she had been backed into a corner with no escape. Scared, Heather searched for anything that would stop him or that would help her, Joe smiled, "It's no use, and you're mine now." He grabbed her wrists and held them over her head, pinning her to the wall.

Heather struggled against him as she tried to get loose. Joe was right, it was no use. His whole body was pressed up against hers, she couldn't move. Slowly he began kissing her neck, making his way up to her mouth to engage it in a bruising kiss. Holding her hands with one hand, Joe fumbled with her shirt buttons.

Clay and the others stepped into the mirror room after finding the same workman to lead them to the entrance. They had just walked in when Alyssa spotted something lying in a heap on the floor. She picked it up and gasped. "I found her skirt!" she told the others. "She probably took it off so that she could move about better. She liked the breeches better than the skirt." Scot scooped up something off the floor not too far away from the skirt.

"Look at this. It's a candleholder. What do you want to bet that he knocked her out with it." Scot said referring to Joe.

"We've got to find them!" exclaimed Clay. He began searching the big room. The others also fanned out to help. Before long, Scot found a secret door in one of the mirrors. While he tried to pry it open, Paige found another door a couple feet away.

"Uh, oh. This could be a problem." Alyssa stated. A couple more minutes and Scot managed to slide the door half open.

"How about we split?" Scot suggested. "Paige and I will take this one, and you and Alyssa can take that one."

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Cautiously Paige and Scot started down the secret steps to a hidden chamber below. Clay and Alyssa walked boldly through the tunnel, only stopping to shoo away rats from their path.

Heather struggled, but Joe had a firm hold on her. She tried to move her face away from him. But his lips continued to find hers. Slowly, bit-by-bit, Heather stopped struggling. She was no match for him. Joe chuckled, "That's my girl. You know you're mine." He kissed her jaw line, down her neck and back up to her lips. Heather's face showed her disgust, but he ignored them. Once he had her shirt unbuttoned, he tried to take it off her. Only then did he realize she had on another shirt under it. He growled in frustration.

Paige and Scot stopped a little ways from the bottom of the steps. Someone was down here. And not just one person. There was at least two. The couple slowly made their way down the last steps to stop at the bottom. Paige held a candle out in front of her. "Hello?" she jumped when she heard a muffled reply. Letting the candle shine over every inch of the chamber, Paige and Scot were startled to see four people tied up. Paige let out a sigh of relief. "We found them!" then she frowned, "Wait a minute, where's Erik?"

Clay and Alyssa came to the end of their tunnel. Alyssa looked back, it was a long way back to the mirror. Puzzled, they looked around. Shouldn't there be another door, or mirror, or something? "Great, a dead end." Clay muttered. He kicked the wall in frustration. Alyssa looked at him in sympathy.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll find her," she reassured him, trying to smile. Just as they were about to turn and leave, a small clicking sound could be heard. Alyssa looked at the wall in amazement. "You must have kicked a hidden button or something!" quietly the door opened to reveal the lair. They stepped in just in time to hear a noise from an adjoining room. They silently crept along the wall. Alyssa peeked in and gasped.

"What?" demanded Clay.

"He's trying to make her…" she was at a loss for words, "you know."

Clay saw red. He whipped around the corner before Alyssa could do anything to stop him. He almost stopped when he saw the scene before him, but he charged at Joe. Joe never even knew what hit him. Heather collapsed to the floor as the weight was suddenly lifted off of her.

While Clay and Joe fought, Alyssa rushed in and helped Heather up. "Clay, come on!" she yelled to him. Giving Joe one last punch, Clay jumped up and ran over to the girls. Scooping Heather up into his arms, Clay led the way out of the lair. Somehow Alyssa managed to get the same mechanism to shut the concealed door before Joe could reach them. It closed just in time. She could him curse on the other side. Quickly they went down the tunnel and reentered the mirror room. They could hear Joe catching up behind them.

Alyssa beckoned Clay to the secret door Paige and Scot had gone to explore. As soon as he was on the steps, Alyssa followed him and shut the door behind her. They rushed down the steps.

Paige and Scot untied the prisoners. "Where's Erik?" Paige had asked when she noticed he wasn't with them.

"What do you mean where is he? He's the monster that kidnapped us and put us down here in the first place!" Raoul exploded as soon as he was free.

Paige was about to answer when she froze. Someone was coming down the steps, quickly, too. Before they could have the chance to hide, the person came into view. Paige sighed in relief when she saw that it was only Clay and Alyssa. Then they saw that he was carrying Heather, who clung to his shirt.

Joe entered the mirror room seconds after Alyssa had slid the door shut. He looked around, expecting to his escapees hiding somewhere. But, he saw nothing. Then he noticed the panel into the dressing room was open. They had escaped, for now.

Clay kneeled down and gently set Heather on the floor. Then he sat down beside her. She didn't let go of him. He slightly rocked back and forth as she cried into his chest. He tried his best to calm her.

Alyssa and Paige took the opportunity to usher everyone into another room that led off of the main chamber. Walking in, the girls and Christine gasped in shock. There, beaten and bloody, was the Phantom of the Opera!

"Erik!" Christine gasped as she ran to his side. She quickly untied his hands from behind him and helped into a sitting position. Gently she began to check his wounds.

Clay cupped Heather's cheek in his hand, but she avoided his gaze, tears still leaking from her eyes. He tried to make eye contact with her. He ran his thumb along her jaw line. "Hey," he said softly. She continued to look elsewhere. "Look at me," he said firmly. Reluctantly she did, her eyes welling with tears.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered before breaking into sobs once again. Clay pulled her to him and rubbed her back.

Alyssa and Paige stared at Erik in astonishment. So the Phantom really did look like Gerard Butler! "Wow! They could be twins!" Paige exclaimed, hearts in her eyes. Suddenly she giggled. Scot and Alyssa looked at her, confused. "I just had this weird thought that maybe Gerard is a reincarnation of Erik," she explained.

Alyssa shook her head, "You're weird, you know that?"

Scot looked at his girlfriend with raised eyebrows. He smiled, "You're impossible."

Paige just laughed, "Hey, it could happen."

Once Paige was able to tear her eyes away from the hot Phantom, Paige leaned over and whispered, "What happened to Heather?"

"Joe tried to force her into sex." Alyssa replied truthfully.

Scot and Paige exchanged looks of horror. "Oh my gosh!" Paige exclaimed. "Is she okay?"

Alyssa nodded, "We got there just in time, he almost had her shirt off. I'm so glad she was wearing two shirts today."

Raoul looked at Christine sourly as she tended to the Phantom. He didn't like it. She wasn't supposed to be running to that monster. He was evil, the whole reason they were in this mess to begin with. She should be running to him instead.

Carlotta sat stiffly at a chair in the corner, her nose in the air. At the moment she was too mad to say or do anything. She didn't pay attention to what was going on around her. "I should not be treated this way. I am a respectable person and I demand to be treated as so. And why are you in my clothes?" she demanded

Meg agreed, "Yes, why are you dressed like me?" she asked Alyssa in confusion.

Raoul turned his angry face to Scot, "And why are those people out there dressed as Christine and I?"

Paige and Alyssa looked at each other, should they tell them the truth or not? What could they possibly say that would sound real? Alyssa opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything. Luckily, she didn't have to say anything, because Heather and Clay appeared in the doorway.

"You are here because someone has been impersonating Erik." Heather told them. She gave Paige, Scot, and Alyssa a weak smile. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

Paige and the others got the hint and continued. "We've been brought in to impersonate you to capture him."

"Our 'Erik's' name is Joe, he is the one who kidnapped you and brought you here. Not, the real Erik, as you think." Alyssa added.

"It's true," Erik informed them hoarsely. He winced as he tried to sit up. Christine put her arm behind his back, and in his weak state, was able to help him up. "He would beat me for information."

Christine looked at Erik in sympathy. As did Meg, Alyssa, and the others. "Paige, can you do anything to **help **him?" Heather asked as she put emphasis on the help part. Paige got the drift and nodded.


	9. It's a gift

Chapter Eight

"It's a gift."

Everyone watched in silence as Paige kneeled down beside Erik. Christine moved over slightly to give her room. Paige placed her hands on his chest and closed her eyes, concentrating on her task at hand. In seconds the wounds began to heal and fade until they were gone. Then she did the same to the unmasked side of his face. When she was done she smiled at him tearfully. "I'm sorry I can't heal this," she told him as she touched his mask lightly.

Erik smiled at her sadly, "It's okay, I guess I'm just not meant for happiness." He said it so quietly, no one but Paige heard it.

Christine looked at Paige in amazement, as did everyone else from the past. "You… You just healed him! How did you do that?"

Paige gave her a reassuring smile, "It's a gift," she answered simply.

Heather cleared her throat. "Christine, may I talk to you for a moment out here," she indicated the bigger main room. Christine nodded in agreement, still amazed. She followed Heather out of the small cramped room.

The two girls sat down on the floor against the wall. "Do you love Erik?" Heather asked bluntly.

Christine looked surprised at the question. "I…guess…" she sputtered, "I don't know." Heather motioned for her to continue. "Part of me does because he has taught me everything about singing, and he loves me. But, another part of me says he his a monster and that I am better off with Raoul." Christine answered honestly.

Heather sighed. "Let me tell you something. My boyfriend Clay and I like each other a lot. I will even say we love each other. But, because of this, Joe was rejected. Just like Erik. Joe has spent a year building up the hatred and pain. Erik has had even longer. I learned from my mistakes. I know now that I can't let him wallow in his pain and anger. And neither should you let Erik do the same. If you do choose Raoul, sit down and have a talk with Erik about it." Heather paused a second.

"You may think he's a monster, but you have to look deeper than the surface. He loves you. Anyone can plainly see that. Even Carlotta can, if she would look past her own nose." At this the girls giggled. "And you know you love him back." Christine tried to protest this statement, but Heather shook her head. "I can see you do. Just as everyone else did in that room when you helped him."

"Raoul is an easily angered and jealous person. He's not the kind of person you deserve. Raoul is destined for another, I know it." Heather finished.

Clay was proud of Heather. She had bounced back from her ordeal so easily. He could tell she was still scared, but she hid it well as she put on a brave face for everyone else to see.

Christine was silent as she mulled over everything Heather had just told her. Just as Heather was about to leave the room, Christine stopped her with a question. "Who are you?"

Heather smiled and sat back down. "Excuse my rudeness. I'm Heather Turner, and I'm from the future." She giggled at Christine's expression. "All of my friends are, including Joe."

"How did you get here? And how did Paige do that thing to Erik?" Christine wanted to know.

"Joe is a warlock. He pulled us into a movie about the Phantom of the Opera, as Erik is known. He is a legend. He wanted to get to me. Paige, Alyssa, and I are witches. That is how she healed him; it's one of her powers." Heather answered.

"So, where are you from? I can tell you're not French." Christine observed.

"No, we're not. We're from America. Ohio, specifically. The year there is 2005, and it's just turning spring." Heather explained. She smiled, "I hope this is over soon."

This time when Heather got up, Christine didn't stop her. Then Heather turned around, "Could you please not tell anyone. Please?" Christine nodded. "Thanks." Then Heather walked away, straight into Clay's arms.

Clay opened his arms to her and she walked right into them, grateful for their warmth and their comfort. Christine and Alyssa watched in silence. They were the only ones to notice them leave. Christine smiled, in the few minutes that she had known this new friend and her boyfriend; she knew that they were right for each other. As well as the other couple in the other room. They were all friends, true and loyal to each other. She noted their happiness when they were together. If one was sad or happy, they were all sad or happy. Right then Christine vowed that she and Meg would always be best friends forever.


	10. Wow

Chapter Nine

"Wow"

The five friends walked across the stage together Opera house's stage together, joyful over their recent triumph in finding the captives. Suddenly the girls spotted something in the band pit. Heather looked at the other two girls, a devious gleam in her eyes. "Want to?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh yeah!" they answered with smiles.

The guys looked at each other, eyebrows raised in confusion. "What?" they wanted to know.

The girls jumped down into the pit where several instruments sat out, the band members having just finished tuning them. They only had a couple minutes till they came back.

Heather headed for a violin, while Alyssa picked up a flute, and Paige sat down at a piano. Getting positioned, Alyssa looked at Heather and Paige. "Whatever shall we play?" she joked, giggling.

"Why, I don't know!" they answered, finishing the joke.

"Ready?" Heather asked them. They nodded. Paige counted off and they launched into a smaller rendition of Phantom of the Opera. One by one, the real band members came back. Most of them joined the girls in playing, although, the girls remained the loudest. The guys watched in amazement, so this is what they had been doing after school for the last couple of months.

The girls put themselves into the music. Their eyes closed, playing almost effortlessly.

When the song was over, the girls all had far away looks in their eyes. Quickly they came back to the present. Clay helped Heather, and the Alyssa out of the pit while Scot helped Paige. Clay slung his arm around Heather's waist and led the small group away, leaving the musicians to stare after them.

"Wow," one of them whispered.

That night, Heather clung to Clay's arm as they walked down the hallway to her room. She nervously glanced around, expecting at any moment to see Joe. When they finally reached her door, Clay kissed her goodnight. As he turned to walk away, Heather stopped him, "No, stay, please?" she pleaded.

Clay turned to face her, ready to say no, but when he saw her face, he couldn't. He nodded in agreement. "Okay." Heather opened the door a little wider to let him into the room. Then she locked the door behind her, still nervous about Joe. She went over to the bed and sat on it. She motioned Clay over to sit beside her.

Eventually Heather dozed off, her head resting on Clay's chest. He stayed up for a little bit, playing with her hair and watching out for Joe. His neck was becoming stiff from the way he was propped up against the headboard of Heather's bed. But, he didn't want to move in case of awakening her. She needed the sleep. However, he too eventually fell asleep, too tired to stay up any longer.

The next morning, Paige and Alyssa opened the door to her room, Heather having given them an extra key. They stopped when they saw their two friends still asleep on the bed. Giggling, they slowly backed out of the room and quietly shut and locked the door behind them. They would come back later, when the occupants were actually awake. They smiled and told Scot why their friends would not be joining them for breakfast. He just shook his head and smiled with them.

**A/N: just to let you viewers know, this chapter was just for fun!**


	11. Capris, shorts, and Jerks

Chapter Ten

Capri's, Shorts, and Jerks

Heather paced her room nervously. It was the week of the play! Today was Monday, and the play would be on Friday night. Seven pm sharp. She was jittery; she couldn't stand the confinement and smallness of her room. With a sigh, she slipped out of the room and once again found her way back to the mirror room. Carefully she peeked into it first to make sure there were no Joe-shaped surprises inside. When she say that the coast was clear, she quickly and quietly slipped in and made a beeline for mirror that led to Christine, Erik, and the other captives.

Once she opened the mirror and shut it securely behind her, she ran down the steps, surprising Christine who stood at the bottom. Heather stopped in time before she could run into her. "Oh! I'm sorry!" Heather apologized.

"It's alright. You're fine." Christine answered, turning, she glared at Raoul. Heather then noticed that Raoul was also on his feet, his eyes seemingly shooting sparks. His mouth was set in an angry line and he was glaring at Christine.

_Uh oh, _thought Heather, _I'm thinking this probably wasn't the best time to come down here. _"Is this a bad time?" she asked.

"No, Raoul and I were just talking. We're done now." Christine answered, ushering Heather into the smaller room, where they had found Erik a few days earlier. Erik was still there. When he saw them he nodded to Heather and left to the main chamber to give them some privacy.

"Where are the others?" Christine asked Heather, a smile now on her face.

"Oh, I don't know. Scot and Alyssa are probably dancing. Paige is singing. As should I, I'm just too nervous to. Clay is out on business with the police." She looked at Christine, "I'm scared," she whispered.

Christine shot her a sympathetic look and out her arm around Heather's shoulders. "Oh, I'm sure it can't be that bad. It's just like any other time. And I've heard from Alyssa that you've done wonderfully for the others." Christine reassured her.

"Yes, maybe so, but Joe wasn't trying to kidnap me then. It's scary, because I know he's going to succeed."

Christine sighed. "I know, it was scary when Erik kidnapped me. I'm sorry that I can't help you any more though." Heather was thankful when Christine changed the subject. "So what is the future like?"

"Huh?" Heather said snapping back to attention.

"What is the future like?" Christine repeated her question.

"Oh, well, for one thing, right now it's summer. There's not a lot of snow. There are a lot of differences. Like, women are not that immodest anymore. They can wear pants, like men. Or shorts even."

"What are shorts?" Christine wanted to know.

Heather stood up. "Well, they're a form of clothing. Like shortened pants. They usually come up to about here." Heather explained, putting her hand about mid-thigh. "It's so you can keep cooler in hot weather instead of always wearing stuffy dresses. That, and most girls wear them to show off their legs."

At that Christine gasped in shock. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "They let you wear things like that! Unbelievable!"

Heather chuckled, "Don't worry, they make a longer pairs that come to the knee. They're called Capri's." Heather grinned, "Don't worry, I don't wear shorts."

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by a loud thump against the wall. Rushing outside of the room, the girls were shocked to see Erik hit the wall. Raoul stood grinning in amusement. Once the Phantom stood up, Raoul attacked him again. Because of his previous wounds, Erik was still too weak to fight back effectively. Carlotta and Meg stood cowering in a corner.

Christine ran to help Erik up. As Raoul rushed him again, Heather stepped in his way, making him stop by smacking him across the face. Startled, he fell onto the floor. Angrily he got to his feet, ashamed of being brought down by a girl. "You'll pay for that!" he threatened her. His anger still consuming him, he lunged at her. Heather punched him in the nose, stopping his attack.

"Leave him alone!" Heather commanded.

Raoul sat on the ground holding his now bleeding nose. He watched at Christine helped Erik back into the other room. When she came back out, her eyes were blazing with anger. "What do you think you were doing!" she snapped at Raoul.

"I was protecting you! Since you chose me, I think you should be grateful!" Raoul snapped back.

"I might have chosen you then, but now I'm not so sure I chose the right man." Christine snapped.

"Man! He's no man! He's a monster." Raoul yelled.

"Monster! I don't think so. He's no monster, you are!" Christine screamed.

Raoul looked at her shocked. She had just called him a monster! Now he was embarrassed. She was leaving him and going to that monster. She was choosing Erik.

_HA! Take that you fop! _Heather thought, smiling to herself. _You tell him Christine! I'm so glad you're finally seeing it. Oh thank goodness she has chosen Erik!_

Heather headed for the stairs. "Um, Christine?" When Christine looked at Heather, she said, "I'm going to leave now. I'll be back later, okay?" Christine just nodded.

Heather rushed up the steps and into the mirror room. As soon as she could, she went back to her room. Just as she was turning the knob, the door was thrown open. In its place was a very shocked Paige.

"Heather!" she exclaimed, "Where have you been? You scared us to death!" Paige pulled Heather into the room and shut the door. Everybody was sitting in her room, all looking extremely worried. Clay jumped to his feet and hugged her.

"Don't do that again, we were just going to go look for you," he told her.

"Sorry guys, I just went to visit Christine. I was really nervous about Friday. You didn't have to worry."

"Yes, but we didn't know that. Next time, tell us before you do that." Paige said.

Heather nodded. "Yes, mother!" Paige laughed.

"Oh, I should probably tell ya'll something." Heather said smiling.

"What?" everyone wanted to know.

"Christine dumped Raoul and picked Erik today!" Heather answered with a huge grin on her face.

Alyssa and Paige gasped in shock. "No way!" they exclaimed. Then they smiled, "Go Christine!"

"Why?" Clay asked.

"While I was down there, Raoul attacked Erik. I stopped him before he could do too much damage, but he had already damaged himself. Christine got angry and told him he was the monster, not Erik. He was very shocked, to say the least. I had to refrain myself from jumping up and down with happiness." Heather explained, giggling.

"I am so happy she got rid of him!" Paige finally burst out, unable to contain her enthusiasm any longer. "He is such a jerk."

"Yes, he is. But I have this weird feeling that he's going to marry someone. I just don't know whom. I guess we'll never know." Heather sighed.

"Too bad, I would love to stay and find out." Paige said, sighing, too.

They sat in her room for a couple more minutes before leaving to give Heather and Clay some time together. "So, what did the police say?" Heather asked him.

Clay sighed, "Not much. I have to back on Friday. They said we'd negotiate more then. They are very illusive when it comes to doing something. But, considering they've been **trying** to catch the Phantom for years, I think they'll come." Clay explained to her. Heather nodded at the trying part. Indeed, they had been **trying** to catch him. Always with no avail.

"Well," Heather sighed, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Wednesday afternoon, during their break, the three girls took their break with Christine, Meg, and Erik. Erik was beginning to loosen up around the girls after seeing the girls about everyday for a week and a half. He seemed much happier now that he had Christine to love and look after.

Paige sat at the table in the smaller chamber that looked out into the main room. From where she was sitting, she had a clear view of Raoul and his unhappiness. And she was using it to her advantage by giving him death glares. Heather leaned over and whispered to her, "Jeez Paige, if those looks your giving him could kill, he'd of died a thousand times already!"

"Good," whispered Paige back, "he needs to die."

Erik looked up sharply. He had heard them. Instead of doing anything, however, he smiled slightly and then turned his attention back to Christine and her conversation with Alyssa and Meg. Heather sighed in relief.

"Shhhh! Keep it down!" Heather hissed.


	12. The Final Threshold

Chapter Eleven

The Final Threshold

Heather was so nervous. Today was Friday. The day of the Don Juan performance. Her nerves were frazzled, and it seemed as if she wasn't even going to be able to get out of bed. Before long, Alyssa came in with a cup of tea for her.

Sitting up, Heather breathed in the smell before taking a sip. "Thanks," she said, calming down a little. She set the cup down on the night table and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Standing up she walked over to rack of clothing and began to flip through the selections. Once finishing, she went through it again.

Finally Alyssa stopped her and pulled out a dress for her. It was simple black with a red shawl. Gratefully Heather took it and went behind the changing curtain.

They had six nerve-racking hours to wait before they would be needed for the opera. Heather wasn't sure she'd be able to wait that long. Clay wouldn't be around; he had to do business with the police again today, to ensure they'd be there tonight. Scot was practicing, as was Paige. Alyssa had been given permission to practice a little later on, and Heather was being allowed to practice in her room.

But, she wasn't ready to practice yet. Without drawing attention to themselves, Alyssa and Heather slipped away to visit their newfound friends. As they were about to slide open the hidden door, they heard heavy footsteps making their way up the steps. Drawing back, Heather pulled Alyssa behind another row of mirrors, making sure they were not visible. Heather peeked through a crack.

The mirror door was pushed open hard, almost enough to shatter the mirror. Joe appeared in the open doorway, rage apparent on his face. He still wore the Phantom's clothing, but the mask was gone, showing the rest of his handsome face. He slammed the door shut behind him as he stalked off to the other secret door that led to the lair. Once they were sure he was really gone they quickly made their way down the steps, breathing a sigh of relief that he had not found them. He was obviously too angry to sense them.

As they stepped off the bottom step they looked around. Where was everyone? Then they heard a small sound from the room off of the side. They crept over and glanced in. they couldn't believe what they saw.

Raoul lay on the floor; a small pool of blood was slowly beginning to form under his head. Meg and Christine were kneeling beside him. Carlotta sat on the farthest side of the room, trying to stay away. Erik stood behind Christine, a hand on her shoulder.

"Go get Paige! Hurry!" Heather said to Alyssa, practically shoving her out of the room. Alyssa gave a curt nod and ran back up the steps. Heather knew she could run faster that anybody.

"What happened?" asked Heather in concern, kneeling down to check Raoul's pulse. It was weak.

"Your Phantom, Joe, came down. When he realized that you had found us, he got angry. He shot some sort of lightening ball or something at the wall." Meg explained. She pointed to a big chip in the wall. "It blew up and a rock hit Raoul in the head."

"Energy ball." Heather muttered to herself.

Upstairs, Alyssa ran as fast as she could to find Paige. People stared at her in surprise, as she would run past them. Finally she found Paige practicing on stage. "La Carlotta?" she said timidly.

"What?" snapped Paige, winking at Alyssa.

"Monsieur Firimin and Monsieur Andre would like to see you. It's very important." Alyssa replied, thinking quickly.

Paige batted her eyelashes and smiled at the male population on the stage. "Excuse me gentlemen," she said as she followed Alyssa away. Once they were out of hearing or seeing range, Paige questioned Alyssa.

"What is it?" she wanted to know.

"Trouble, as usual. You have to hurry." Alyssa answered. They hurried back to the hidden room.

When Paige entered the room and saw Raoul, she stopped in the doorway. Heather came up beside her. "Paige, you have to help him. He's almost gone."

"Man! My dream almost came true!" Paige told Heather in a whisper. Heather smacked Paige. Hearing snickering, the two girls turned to see Erik trying to hide his grin behind his hand. Paige snickered, too. Heather silenced both of them with a glare.

"I don't like him either. And frankly, I think the idiotic fop should die, too. But, you have to help him Paige." Heather told her sternly. "It's our job to protect those who cannot protect themselves. You know that. We both do. You have to help him."

Paige crossed her arms and stood her ground. "No way. Absolutely not! He doesn't deserve it. Especially not after what he put Erik and Christine through," she argued.

At this, Christine looked up. "Please? He may have put us through a lot, but he still deserves a second chance at life and love. Just as Erik and I have been given. Please? For me?" she pleaded.

Paige sighed and gave in. "Man!" she whined. Reluctantly she trudged over and sat down beside the other girls. Within minutes she was done. Before anyone could say anything to her, Paige grumpily left the room and stomped up the stairs to go back to practice.

Later that day, around four pm, Alyssa and Heather decided to practice. Meg helped Alyssa perfect her moves, though they were few. Then she began to show her other more complicated moves that she could practice at home.

Erik and Christine offered to help Heather with her singing. At first, she was really nervous. Sometimes Erik would stop her and tell her or show her how to do something different. Heather couldn't believe it. **The **Fantome de l'opera was showing **her** how to sing **his** opera! It was so cool!

"You have brought me, to that moment where words run dry," she started softly.

"No, no, no. Here, let me sing the beginning." Erik interrupted her. "You gave come here, in pursuit of your deepest urge…." He continued till it was Heather's turn. This time she wasn't so nervous.

Boldly she started, "You have brought me, to that moment where words run dry. To that moment where speech disappears into silence…silence…" Erik nodded in encouragement to her and she continued, becoming a little louder. Christine nodded and smiled at her, egging her on.

When it got to the touchy-feely part, Christine joined in, and her and Erik danced. Then he sang the part from "All I Ask of You." "Christine, that's all I ask of…" Heather caught her breath, this was it, this was the test. "You!" he finished. Heather sighed in relief. Christine had let him finish. Relief was also on Erik's face.

Christine smiled and slowly reached up; gently she pulled the mask off. No one said a word. They watched in silence as Christine smiled again and stood up on her toes. She placed a kiss on his marred cheek before kissing him on the lips. Heather, Alyssa, and Meg grinned at each other. Heather was glad Raoul wasn't in the room.

Suddenly Clay interrupted them. "Hey guys," he greeted everybody. Then he turned his attention to Heather and Alyssa, "Paige told me to come and get you. You have two hours till show time."

"Eek!" squeaked Heather in nervousness.

Christine put her hand on Heather's shoulder. "Calm down. Just remember everything Erik and I have taught you and you'll be fine," she soothed.

Erik nodded in agreement. "We'll be waiting to hear how it went. We want full reports," he joked, "Now relax."

Heather took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I think I got it." Christine smiled and hugged her. Meg did the same. Erik patted her on the shoulder. Then they did the same to Alyssa.

As Clay and the girls started up the steps, the others called out, "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" they answered before reaching the top and sliding the door shut. Clay and Heather linked arms. "Come on," she whispered, "We have to go to the chapel." She waved to Alyssa, "See ya in a few."

Heather and Clay entered the chapel ten minutes later. Heather sat down on the ledge by the stained glass window. "I don't want to do this. But I know I have to if we're going to get home." She sighed, "Why were we the "Chosen Ones"? Why couldn't it have been some other kids stuck with this responsibility? It's this responsibility that got us here in the first place!" Clay could tell she was frustrated. "I'm ready to scream!"

_Yep, _he thought, _she's frustrated. _He sat down beside her and took her hands in his. "It'll be okay, you'll see. You were chosen for a reason, because you are strong and willing to protect these people. You're a strong fighter. You all are." He paused for a minute to think. "In the end you'll look back and realize that, too. All of you will."

Heather nodded, "I guess you're right. I just always looked at it as a curse. Thank you for making me feel better." She smiled at Clay.

Clay half hugged her, "No problem. Now come on, we're going to be late." They walked out of the chapel holding hands, not noticing Joe step out from behind a pillar.

A half hour later, Alyssa, Paige, and Heather were all in Heather's dressing room. They had originally wanted to meet in Paige/Carlotta's room, but then realized that was where the two-way mirror was and quickly changed their minds.

Alyssa changed into Meg's red and black dress. Then she let Paige touch up her hair for her. While Heather was singing, she would come back and change into a white peasant style shirt with billowing sleeves, black breeches, and knee-high black boots.

Heather pulled out her costume, glad there were no floor length mirrors in the room. Suddenly she gasped. It was her dress! The one she had designed after seeing the movie. She had thought it would be a good alternative for Don Juan. "Guys!" she exclaimed. Immediately Alyssa appeared from behind the changing screen and Paige looked up from her adjustments she was making on her costume.

"What?" they asked in concern.

"Look! This is the dress I designed!" Heather explained.

Alyssa looked at the dress closely. "Yes, it is!"

"Cool!" Paige answered. "You look good in it, too. Clay won't know what hit him!" she joked.

Heather giggled, "You think so?"

"Yeah!" Alyssa agreed, laughing as well.

Heather frowned, "Wow, I didn't realize I made the slit so far up the leg." She said after putting on the costume. She pointed to the slit that finally stopped just an inch or so over half way up her thigh.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, "You're right. Unless he did a little adjusting of his own. You know, so he could get a free show or something." She grinned.

"Yeah, true. But remember the nightgown? In the movie, that thing **is **a free show!" Then she grinned, too, "Eewww!"

"Oh well, come on, we have to get out there." Alyssa said as she ushered the other two girls out of the room.

Heather smiled nervously at the policemen that passed her in the hallway. They nodded in acknowledgement back. She could hear the guests through the curtain. They talked rather loudly as they waited for the opera to begin.

Suddenly the curtain lifted to reveal the empty stage. The crowd immediately fell silent as they waited for it to begin. Paige led some other dancers/singers onto the stage and they began to sing. When Paige made the vulgar movement with her hips and the crowd gasped in shock, Heather smiled, knowing exactly what they were probably thinking. _What is this world coming to!_ Heather laughed to herself, _If only they knew. _She thought, thinking about home.

The music changed as Alyssa ran onto the stage. She caught the moneybag as it flew through the air to her. Then she spun and kicked her leg out. Just then, Don Juan and Passerino appeared from behind the fake fire. _Just wait until Joe and I drop through it, _thought Heather, _and with the chandelier, they won't know what's going on. It's such a shame Erik had to ruin such a lovely theatre._

Someone nudged Heather letting her know it was her turn. Paige and Alyssa watched from the other side of the stage as Heather walked on. They both gave her reassuring nods and smiles.

Opening her mouth, she started softly, but then she remembered what Erik had told her and got louder. "No thoughts within the head but thoughts of joy. No dreams within the heart but dreams of love!" Then she sat down on the floor and began to pick at the thorns on the rose she held in her hand.

Joe entered silently, his cape up to cover the bottom half of his face. Heather watched him out of the corner of her eye as he ordered Passerino to leave. She laughed to herself, he reminded her of Dracula with his cape like that. He advanced towards her.

"You have come here, in pursuit of your deepest urge. In pursuit of that wish that until now has been silent…silent…" he hushed her with a finger to his lips. Heather glanced up to Box 5 to make sure Clay was still there. He nodded to her encouragingly. Scot danced in the background with the other male dancers.

"I have brought you, that our passions may fuse, and merge. In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me. Now you are here with me, no second thoughts. You've decided…decided…" he sang. He let the last note hang in the air before continuing.

"Past, the Point of no Return! No backward glances! Our games of make-believe are at an end. Past, all thoughts of if, or when, no use resisting! Abandon thoughts, and let the dream begin. What raging fires shall flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies before us?

Past, the Point of no Return! The Final Threshold! What final woman's secrets will we learn? Beyond the Point of no Return!" he finished.

Then it was Heather's turn to sing her reply. The male dancers exited the stage as female dancers took their place. Paige was one of them, having used the excuse she would be on stage more.

"You have brought me, to that moment where words run dry. To that moment where speech disappears into silence…silence…" She too let the note hang in the air. When it faded she began again.

They walked in circles around each other, coldly regarding the other. "I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why. In my mind I've already imagined, our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent! Now I am here with you, no second thoughts. I've decided…decided…"

Slowly they began up the scaffolding steps. "Past, the Point of no Return! No going back now! What our minds shall play has now at last begun! Past, all thoughts of right, or wrong! One final question! How long should we to wait before we're one? When will the blood begin to roast? The sleeping bud burst into bloom?" Heather and Joe stepped up onto the landing, "When will the flames, at last, consume us!"

The male dancers reentered and paired up with the women. Paige and Scot danced together. They started singing again, "Past, the Point of no Return! The Final Threshold! The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn! We've past the Point of no Return!" they finished. When their last note faded out, Joe began to sing to a different song.

"Say you'll love me every waking moment. Lead me, save me, from my solitude. Say you want me with you now and always. Anywhere you go, let me go, too. Heather, that's all I ask of…"

Joe never got to finish. Before he could sing the last word, Heather smacked him across the face, cutting him off. The crowd below them gasped. Joe yanked Heather towards him angrily. All of the sudden, the bottom of the scaffolding gave out from below them and they plunged through the air and went through the fake fire.

They landed in a heap on the floor, but Joe quickly yanked Heather to her feet. He half dragged her, half carried her through the tunnels. She struggled to stop him by digging in her heels, but his only reply was a growl and another painful yank on her arm.

Above them, the chandelier swayed. The chain holding it up started to pull out of the ceiling. People screamed and scrambled to get out of their seats. Bits of plaster and ceiling rained down. In their box, Firimin and Andre watched on with wicked happiness.

Scot grabbed Paige's hand and they fled the scene, but somewhere they go separated. Paige frantically searched for Scot while Alyssa got ready to go after Joe with a couple searchers. Madame Giry led Clay through some tunnels. Halfway down the steps she stopped. "This is it, I will go no further." Clay nodded and thanked her. She turned around and ran back up the stairs.

Clay continued down the stone steps by himself. He was almost to the bottom when a hidden trap door opened up beneath his feet, triggered by the sudden weight. Before he could grab hold of anything, he plummeted into the darkness below. And landed with a splash.

Clad he had paid attention to this part of the movie; he quickly dived to the wheel. Just as the grate was beginning to lower. Going up for a quick breath, he dived back down. Slowly the grate began to lift. Clay climbed through the opening in the wall. Somehow he managed to crawl through space.

Back in the Phantom's lair, Joe pushed Heather towards the mirror. "Get ready!" he snapped at her. Heather pulled back the curtain that revealed the image of her in the wedding dress. With a smile, the image walked forward a step, out of the mirror, and into Heather. For a second she felt dizzy, but then it was gone and Heather saw her reflection in the mirror. She was no longer I her Don Juan costume. The wedding dress was beautiful.

It was made of real white silk, and was in two layers, not including the undergarments. It had lace all over the top, and the veil went to the floor as it hung from a wreath of fresh red and white roses. Heather's breath caught in her throat.

Slowly she turned to face Joe. She reached up and slid the Phantom's mask off. He grabbed her hand as she began to lower it to set the mask on the organ. "Why do you love me?" she asked him.

"Because, you're so beautiful. You're strong, a fighter, powerful, passionate, you're everything I could ever want," he told her as he brought her hand up to his cheek. He placed a kiss on her palm.

Heather pulled her hand away. "Don't touch me!" she exclaimed. "You don't truly love me. You're lustful, nothing more. You could just leave now and put all of this behind you. Find someone who really loves you for who you are," she warned him. "Or…" she trailed off, thinking quickly. Then and idea came to her.

"Will you gorge yourself at last in your lust for flesh!" she sang forcefully. Joe's eyes widened.

"This evil which condemns our love, has also denied me the joys of your flesh!" he answered, changing the words o fit their purposes.

"Scot!" Paige screamed above the yelling and screaming of others in the theatre. Stumbling, she almost fell as she tripped over something. Looking down, Paige saw a man lying stiffly on the floor, eyes opened, but starting sightlessly at the ceiling. Paige screamed and leaped away. Then she screamed again when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She spun around to see Scot. She fell into his arms and he led her away. He knew where to go.

Heather glared at Joe as he finished. "That's sick!" she spat at him. "You pervert!"

Joe slapped her, hard, across the face. Her hands flew to her face where a large red handprint was forming. Angrily Heather lashed out with her own hand, ready to punch him. But, her punch was wild and ill aimed. Joe caught her fist in his hand. He wagged his finger at her and smiled, "Now Heather, no violence when we have guests." He gestured at Clay leaning against the gate catching his breath.

"Clay!" cried Heather. He looked up.

"Heather!"

She tried to get past Joe and run to get the gate open for him, but Joe's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. "Have you no compassion?" Clay said, quoting Raoul from the movie.

Joe's eyes flashed, "She showed no compassion to me!" he growled, pointing to Heather.

Alyssa struggled against the tide of people trying to get out of the theatre. She had to go after Heather and Joe. She could hear windows exploding outward as the fire became too intense. It was too hot! Finally the steady stream of people dwindled to a trickle. Gathering up some more men, and a few women, they began their search. Entering a tunnel towards the main entrance of the opera house, they grabbed a few torches from the walls.

Paige and Scot dodged burning props and falling timbers as Scot led them through the flames to the mirror room. _If the flames haven't gotten that far, yet. _Scot thought to himself. _We'll be able to get in and go underground. We'll be safe there until the fire is put out. _

Suddenly he was startled out of his thoughts by a scream. He turned around in time to see a falling beam fall in between him and Paige, catching her dress on fire. Pushing the wood out of his way, Scot furiously began to beat at the flames. He ignored the pain in his hands. Once the small fire was out, he grabbed Paige's hands in his and they took off at a run. He didn't realize that the pain in his hands lessened and finally faded as Paige healed them.

Underground, in their prison, Christine, Erik, and the others waited silently for news from Heather and her friends. They didn't know what was going on, but Christine, Erik, and Meg knew that tonight was the chandelier crash. It brought back painful memories for Erik and Christine, but it was behind them now, in the past. It didn't matter anymore. They had promised not to tell the other two prisoners. They themselves weren't really supposed to know. It had to do with the whole, you might mess up the past and it'll change the future, thing.

Christine jumped when something above ground crashed. She scooted closer to Erik and he put his arm around her waist. He didn't care if it wasn't appropriate because they weren't married yet. He had never been appropriate in his life. He'd kill anyone who'd try to tell him otherwise. Meg scooted closer on the other side of Christine. Christine took her hand in hers to comfort her.

Joe wadded into the water towards the gate. He put his hand on the lever that would open it, but made no attempt to do so.

"Joe, please, let him in!" Heather begged him.

Joe pulled up and the gate slowly but surely began to lift. Clay rushed in. Unfortunately, he forgot about the lasso. Before he knew it, he was choking for air and was tied to the closed gate. They were jumbled knots, or he could've probably undone them.

Joe turned to Heather, a smile of some sort on his face. "Refuse me and you send your lover to his death! This is the choice! This is the Point of no Return!"

Heather could feel the tears running down her cheeks. "Why make her lie to you to save me!" she heard Clay sing back. He was willing to die to save her from Joe.

"Angel of Music, you deceived me! I gave you my heart blindly!" she sang out. Joe turned at the sound of her voice. Heather paused, should she sing more? She made a split decision and continued, "Angel, I'm on my knees begging, show him some mercy or kill me!"

Clay's eyes widened at the last part, but she simply shook her head slightly. Joe's eyes flashed. Heather had known it would get to him. He couldn't stand it when she and dying were mentioned in the same sentence.

"You try my patience! Make your choice!" he growled.

From where she was, Heather could see the tears welling up in his eyes. Her anger disappeared right then. Could he really help that he had been born a warlock? She knew he deserved love. "God give me strength to show you, you are not alone!" she whispered to herself.

Slowly Heather waded into the water and went out to meet him. Stopping a couple steps in front of him, she reached up and pulled his head down to hers. And kissed him full on the mouth. Surprised, his arms hung at his sides, useless. Clay could only watch in shock. When she finally pulled back, Joe yanked himself away from her hold and turned away in shame. The tears ran down his face.

"Get out! Leave me!" he yelled. Heather and Clay jumped. Without wasting any time, Heather ran to Clay. She threw her arms around him in a quick embrace before rushing to untie him.

"Tell no one of the man in Hell!" he yelled again, "Leave now!"

Hurriedly, she untied Clay. She fumbled with the knots, trying to get them off in her panic. "Heather," Clay said calmly. She ignored him. He grabbed her hand that was closest to one of hi. "Heather, calm down. Take your time. You're not going to get anywhere if you panic. Okay?"

Heather nodded and took a deep breath before resuming her work on the knots. She untied each one, one at a time. "That's it, take your time." Clay soothed her. "Slowly."

Once she had them undone, Clay grabbed her in a tight hug. Eventually though, he had to pry her away to open the gate. While he untied the boat from its moorings, Heather went into Erik's room where Joe sat on the bed, tears still streaming down his face as she listened to the monkey music box. "Heather, I love you," he whispered. Without a word, Heather handed him the ring and closed it in his fist. Looking back as she left, she saw him stare at his closed hand.

Heather climbed into the boat behind Clay and put her arm around his waist, tightly holding on while he rowed them out of the lair. Just before they were out of earshot, Heather heard Joe sing, "It's over now, the Music of the Night!" She buried her head in Clay's shoulder and tried to block out his voice ringing in her ears.

Heather heard the sounds of the breaking glass as Joe took the big candleholder and smashed the mirrors. The noise echoed through the tunnels. When they stopped, she assumed he had left, as the Phantom does in the movie. All of the sudden she felt a ripple in the air. Heather knew that I meant something magical was about to happen. She hoped it meant they were going home. Then something caught her eye.

Turning her head slightly in that direction, he eyes widened when she say Joe standing on the ledge of the tunnel along the wall. That's what the ripple had been! He'd apperated! Then she saw that in his hand he was holding and energy ball. Suddenly it zoomed towards Clay!

Without a moment's hesitation, Heather threw herself in front of it and knocked Clay out of the boat and into the water with a splash. Heather landed a couple feet from him. Before Clay could say anything, Heather staggered to her feet. Only then realizing that it had hit her!

Angrily Heather turned to Joe. Red spread across the front of the beautiful white wedding dress that was now ruined. Slowly it turned to pink as it mixed with water and the lovely white silk. "Joe!" she cried, anger turning her eyes to a flashing emerald green.

Heather took a menacing step forward. "Never, ever, go after my boyfriend!" she growled softly, making the threat sound even worse.

"I told you, you belong to me! No one else!" Joe argued. "He doesn't deserve you. He can't do anything, he's worthless! You need somebody that you don't have to worry about taking care of. Someone who can help you and love you. You need me!"

"No," Heather replied harshly. "What I need is someone I can love back. And that's not you. All you would ever get from me is hatred. Never love. I thought you would be able to see that."

"You can learn to love me!" Joe insisted. He began to form another energy ball aimed directly at Clay.

"No." answered Heather firmly.

"Fine then," he growled and threw the ball. Heather stepped in front of its path. Crossing her arms in front of her, she stood ready. When it hit her, the force of it caused her to skid back several feet, but she stood her ground. Lowering her arms, Clay and Joe saw that her eyes were different. They were bright green, almost glowing.

"That was a mistake, " Heather growled. She lifted her left hand up and leveled it with her shoulder. Then she drew it back, something began to form in her hand. Then her hand shot forward, a fireball hurtled at Joe. Within seconds Joe was gone.

Heather's eyes became normal once again and she fainted. Clay wasn't quite quick enough to catch her and she hit the water with a small splash. He hurried over and picked her up. Putting her in the boat, he began to row back to the lair as fast as he could.

Reaching the Phantom's lair, Clay picked Heather up and made his way to the secret door that would lead to the mirror room. He had to get out before the searchers arrived. Then he remembered something. Setting Heather down for a second, he scrambled to find a scrap of paper and a quill. Finding one, he scribbled down, "mirror room" and stuck it by Joe's mask, knowing Alyssa would find it and follow them. Then he opened the tunnel and disappeared into it with Heather, stopping to make sure it clicked shut behind him.

Once Clay entered the mirror room, he slid open the other secret door in the mirror with his foot and descended the steps to the chamber below.

Meg and Christine looked up. They gasped and rushed over to Clay as he took the last step. Hitting the floor, he stumbled and the girls rushed to help him. They guided him over to a small cot in the corner of the room where he collapsed, Heather still in his arms.

As Meg tended to Clay's wounds, Christine took over Heather's. Taking a wadded handful of her dress, she pressed it to the wound. Meg stood beside Christine as Christine worked. Meg gingerly pulled Clay's shirtsleeve away the blade injury from the cemetery. He winced in pain. When it had begun to bleed again in the lair, it had also started to dry on the cut. When Meg pulled off the shirt, she ripped off the scab, making it bleed again. She tore pieces of cloth from the bed sheets on the cot and used it to cover the injury. Christine was not having any luck with Heather.

Just then Alyssa, Paige, and Scot came running down the steps. "Clay? Heather?" they called in concern. Alyssa had found the note, and when the other searchers weren't looking, had quickly and quietly slipped away. She had met up with Paige and Scot as they too headed for the underground room.

"Over here!" Christine replied, still trying to get the bleeding to stop. They rushed over. Meg moved out of the way as Paige cut in. "I don't know what happened, Clay just stumbled down the steps a few minutes before." Christine explained breathlessly.

"That wound is mortal." Paige observed, she nudged Christine over a little. "I think I can fix it, but it won't heal completely, I'm not that good yet, but it will once we get home and she rests." Paige said, talking mostly to herself, but Christine nodded in understanding


	13. Goodbye

Chapter Twelve

Goodbye

Just as Paige was finishing healing Heather, Scot and Alyssa disappeared. Then Clay. Christine stared in shock. Then she hugged Paige, "Goodbye!" she said as Paige and Heather faded out. Paige smiled and waved before she completely disappeared.

Christine blinked her tears away. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the underground chamber. Nor was she in Raoul's living room as she had been before Joe kidnapped her. Instead, she was sitting in a comfortable chair at a table in a small apartment room. Erik appeared beside her in another chair. They looked at each other in shock before Erik began to smile. He clasped Christine's hand in his and asked, "Marry me?"

Christine smiled back, "Oui, mon Ange de la Musique."11

Raoul appeared back at his very expensive and luxurious home. Alone. Madame Giry and Meg were once again in their hotel room. Madame Giry didn't remember anything of her experience. Although Meg remembered everything. Carlotta showed up in another dressing room, ready to be the star of yet another opera. She too remembered nothing.

Instead of reappearing in the movie theater like they thought they would, the five friends found themselves dropped in the middle of Heather's apartment living room. They groaned and looked around. Heather sat up and winced, holding her stomach. Clay touched his arm, the wound was gone!

"What happened?" Scot asked, a little confused as to why they weren't at the movie theater.

"I'm not quite sure." Alyssa answered, a little dazed. She blinked a couple of times and shook her head.

"Did all of that really happen?" Heather asked.

"I guess so, we're still wearing our costumes," Paige replied, she pointed to her dress, "See?"

It was true, they were all still in their movie costumes from Don Juan. Even Heather was wearing her designed dress from the opera, and not the wedding gown.

Paige looked at Clay and Heather, "Are you guys alright? What happened with Joe?" she asked for everyone.

Heather frowned, "I don't know. I can't remember too much. I remember leaving the labyrinth and Joe followed us into the tunnels. I was yelling at him and… that's all I remember, suddenly we're here."

Clay gaped at her, "You don't remember killing him?" he exclaimed.

"What! I killed him!" Heather exclaimed also.

Clay nodded, "With fire."

"Fire? I can't use fire. That's a demonic power." Heather argued.

"You did, he threw an energy ball at me and you blocked it and it hit you instead. Then you got really mad, and your eyes started to glow green. You threw a fireball at him and he disinigrated," explained Clay as he went through the events. "Then your eyes went back to normal and you fainted."

"Hey guys, why don't we just forget about it for now? We're all upset, tired, and physically and mentally drained. Let's all go home for now and discuss it later." Paige cut in. everyone agreed and Heather escorted them to the door. She gave Clay a kiss before shutting the door and going to bed. She was asleep in a few minutes

1 Yes, my Angel of Music- its French!

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	14. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 13

Home, Sweet Home

The gang had been home now for almost a week. They felt at home once more. It was home, sweet home. The girls were making their weekly cookies at Heather's apartment place while the guys seemed to be eating them as fast as the girls were making them. Heather slapped Clay's hand as he tried to sneak another, "Uh uh, no more," she told him sternly, trying not to smile.

That night they shared the results of the girl's hard work. As they ate the cookies they watched another movie. They were a little wary at first, but they decided that it was safe at home. Although, Heather had the feeling they wouldn't be going to the movie theater for a while. They were watching Troy, mostly so that Paige and Heather could goggle at Orlando Bloom. He was so hot!

In the darkened living room, as Heather snuggled up against Clay's side and he put his arm around her shoulders, she played everything in her head. She glanced up at Clay to see if he was too. He looked down at her and smiled, no indication of if he was. "You okay?" he asked her.

Heather just smiled and nodded. "I'm perfect." She didn't want to ruin the night with thoughts of Joe and complaints about her stomach wound.

The next morning, as Heather got ready for work, she thought about her spell of amnesia. She could not remember anything that had happened between the times she had begun to yell at Joe, to their sudden appearance in her living room.

From what Clay and the others had told her, she gathered that she had somehow used fire to kill Joe and then she had fainted. Clay took her through the Phantom's lair to the mirror room, where they went underground, and waited for the others. Paige had just finished healing her when they had begun to disappear back to their own time. Paige and herself were the last to go, and Christine had said goodbye. She wished dearly she could have said goodbye to Christine.

Heather changed the bandaging on her stomach. The first couple of days they had been back, she had to call in sick at work because of the pain. Clay, of all people had dropped in to make her breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. Her and her friends could find no feasible reason as to why she had been able to use fire to kill Joe. They were a little worried, not sure what it meant. Fire. The word itself said chills up and down her spine. Fire was demonic power. One that only Upper Level demons could master. So how in the world had she been able to use it? It made no sense.

Heather sighed and shook her head to clear it. There was no use in wondering, it was done and over with. It would probably never happen again anyway.

Picking up her car keys, Heather opened the door and stepped into the hall, just as Alyssa was. "Hey!" they greeted each other, heading down the hall. "No Paige?" asked Alyssa.

Heather shook her head, "No, she said something about a dentist appointment, remember?"

Alyssa shrugged, "Guess not."

They walked down the four flights of stairs that it took to get to the ground floor. Heather nodded and smiled to the manager as Alyssa waved to a cute boy that smiled to her. Then they walked out into the parking lot.

"You know, the disadvantage to being on the top floor is the walk up and down." Alyssa said.

Heather nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know." As Alyssa climbed into her car, Heather opened her door, "I've been thinking," she started, Alyssa stopped what she was doing to look at her friend, "We should buy a house together. Just the three of us. Then we'd have all our witchy stuff in one place instead of dividing it up. And we won't have to put up with those weirdo's that live on the floor beneath us."

Alyssa laughed, "I know what you mean. That would be cool. Maybe we should ask Paige?"

Heather shrugged, "Maybe." She got into her car and rolled the window down, "Are you still coming over for movie and pizza tonight?" she wanted to know.

"Yeah! Wouldn't miss it!"

"See ya then!" Heather started up her car and they left, Heather going right, Alyssa turning left.

Once Heather pulled up at the pet store where she worked, she sighed. She had forgotten that she was supposed to open up shop today. The manager was going to be an hour late. Heather glanced at her watch, "Crap! I only have fifteen minutes! Eek!" she squeaked, jumping out of her car and running to the front door.

Birds, dogs, cats and other animals alike greeted her when she walked in. she rushed around, tiding up the register, feeding the animals and fish. She didn't touch the reptiles or spiders. Those were Mike's job. Thankfully, he would be there in about ten minutes. Heather scooped out a couple of dead fish and flushed them down the toilet of the employee's bathroom.

Meanwhile, Alyssa was just pulling into the parking lot of the local theater where she worked, mostly on weekends. It wasn't always fun, but it definitely had high points. Like getting free tickets for movies. Entering, she nodded to Daren and Amy, two of her coworkers. They waved back.

"So, how was Phantom of the Opera?" they asked, grinning. Alyssa tensed. "Is it as good as everyone says? I want to know before I see it." Amy said.

Alyssa relaxed a little. "Oh, it was great! The music is beautiful, and the dancing and singing is awesome. I loved the dancing!" she gushed. _Of course, I would know about the dancing part! _She thought to herself, hiding a smile behind her hand as she pretended to cough. "It's sad at the end though. My friend cried during it."

"Well, then maybe we should go see it together," Daren suggested as he elbowed Alyssa in the side. His eyes twinkled. Amy and Alyssa sighed and rolled their eyes in unison.

"No, Daren." Alyssa said.


	15. Surprise!

Chapter 14

Surprise!

That night, as Clay ran to the store to pick up snacks and then to movie store to pick up the movies Heather had requested, Heather sat at the kitchen table ordering pizzas. Just as she set the phone down, the doorbell rang. Thinking it was Clay and he couldn't get in, she went over and opened the door.

But instead of Clay as she thought, she stood staring up at Gerard Butler!

"Are you Heather Turner?" he asked in his thick Scottish accent.

Speechless, Heather could only nod. "May I come in?" he asked. Again Heather could only nod as she opened the door a little wider.

He walked in and stood, waiting while she closed the door. "Have, have a seat." Heather stammered. Then she opened the door again, "Excuse me a minute." He nodded.

Heather walked into the hallway and turned to her left. She knocked on the door. As soon as Alyssa answered, she dragged her into the hallway, barely giving her time to shut the door behind her. Then she went and did the same thing to Paige, on the right side, Scot following behind her.

"What?" asked Paige, "What was that for?" she asked Heather again. Then she turned around and stopped in the middle of her next sentence. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh! That's why!" Heather whispered.

"Hello," Gerard greeted the other girls and Scot. "I assume you're Alyssa, Paige, and Scot?" he asked.

Dumbfounded, they could only nod. Gerard reached into his pocket and retrieved a package. "Here, this is for you," he said, handing it to Heather. Slowly she took the package. She dug her pocketknife out of her pocket and slit the top of the manila envelope.

Just then Clay opened the door. He walked in and went and sat the stuff down on the kitchen table and came back to the living room. Then he noticed Gerard. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Clay," Heather said softly, "Just wait a minute. Sit down." Clay sat down beside her on the couch.

Heather carefully pulled out a packet of letters out of the manila envelope. They were neatly tied together with a black ribbon. Heather shot a quick glance at Paige. They were both thinking the same thing. Heather glanced at Gerard. He nodded to her. Gently Heather untied the bow.


	16. The Letters

Chapter 15

The Letters

Heather leafed through the letters. Some were addressed to her; others were addressed to Paige or Alyssa. One was even addressed to Clay and Scot. Some only had dates. Sorting through, Heather divided them among her friends. She then took hers and the dated ones; she would read them aloud when everyone was done with their own.

Heather picked up the earliest dated one she could find and carefully opened it.

"Dear Heather," it started in elegant, curled writing, a sure sign the letters were at least hundred years old, if not more.

"I'm sure you're very baffled right now, but do not worry mon ami12, all shall be explained. Some by me, and some by my descendent. I hope that you receive these letters at the proper time, if my line has continued 140 years, or so, into the future.

In case you haven't realized this yet, this is Christine. You are wondering, I am sure. Look closely at the date." Heather stopped reading to look at the envelope. It was dated, January 20, 1871. She looked back at the letter and continued to read.

"January 20th, I hope you recognize it. Today is the day you left to go back to the future. You left not yet an hour ago. After you and Paige disappeared, Erik and I found ourselves in his apartment. I will be staying with him until our wedding can be arranged.

"Madame Gary and Meg will be our only witnesses. Erik will not tell me where we will be going for our honeymoon. However, he has promised it is perfect. After we return, Erik has promised we shall buy a house by a lake, it shall be beautiful. I will forever be thankful to you for opening my eyes to see whom I really love."

Then it was signed, "Pour toujours amis,23 Christine Daae"

The next letter Heather opened was from Erik. Heather read them all aloud. They were shocked when Meg and Raoul were married. They smiled when Christine had three children, one boy and two girls. They laughed when the oldest, their son Erik, scared away one of his sister's suitors by dressing up in his father's old phantom costume. The girls cried with sadness when Erik died, and they cried again when Christine's daughters wrote to them telling them of Christine's death at the age of eighty-one. That was the last letter in the stack of many.

The friends sat quietly on the couch for a bit while they let everything sink in. finally Heather managed to ask the question on everyone's minds, "How?"

Gerard smile, "I'm a descendent of Erik and Christine's son, Erik," he answered for them. "This package has been passed down through the family for generations. It is always given to the youngest. It was to be delivered on this exact day, according to Christine's will."

"What is today?" Paige asked in confusion.

Heather suddenly had an idea. Quickly she began flipping through the letters till she found the one dated June 13th. She opened it up and scanned the letter. "It's their anniversary!" she exclaimed. Gerard nodded, smiling.

"But, you're not French, you're Scottish." Paige said revealing some of her knowledge about her recently favorite actor.

Gerard chuckled, "You've done your homework." He explained, "Fifty-five years after Christine's death, my family moved to Scotland. We've been there for the past eighty-one years."

"Oh."

The others laughed at the expression on Paige's face. Scot leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Heather glanced at the clock, "Wow, we've been sitting here for an hour!"

"We are so sorry for taking up so much of your time." Alyssa apologized to Gerard.

"It was no problem. I'm here for the weekend anyways," he told them as he stood up. Everyone stood up with him as they said goodbye. Heather and Clay escorted him to the door where they shook hands.

Once he was gone, Heather went back to the couch. Gently she fingered the old delicate letters, lost in her thoughts of the past. Clay's hands on her shoulders brought her back to the present. Heather smiled up at him before she carefully tied the letters back into their worn black ribbon. She took them to her room and locked them in a little box for safekeeping.

Once she came back out, her friends had popped in the video and were already fast-forwarding through the previews. They all smiled at her before returning their attention back to the TV. Only Clay watched her as she walked to her usual seat on the couch beside him.

Kissing her on the cheek, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Happily she sat back. Heather smiled to herself; everything was going to be okay.

2- my friend- French

3-forever friends,

**A/N: there we are! This is the end of this story! Hoped you viewers enjoyed it! Another story you may like(if you haven't read it yet) is Phantom in the Future. Give thanks to my friend Paige for posting this story up here for me aka Phantomess08. lol **

**The story Phantom in the Future is created by my friend Paige! So its her little creation. Please read it and let her know how it is so far! And too, in her next chap. (chap 15) she having a Masquerade in it and if anyone would like to be in it let her know at All you have to do is give her your first name and what type of costume you would like to dress up as! Thanks for reading my story and maybe reading Paige's as well!**

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